Nintendo has published new job listings that further confirms the developer has already begun production on another The Legend of Zelda game. Perhaps more interestingly, the job listings suggest dungeons--a series staple that was mostly absent from 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--will be returning in the upcoming game.
Currently, Nintendo is looking for a 3DCG designer and level designer to contribute work to The Legend of Zelda series. Both job listings are published in Japanese, but ResetEra user guru-guru has been able to provide a rough English translation. The 3DCG designer's primary roles are the creation of terrain and topography for fields and dungeons, as well as concept art. The level designer is being hired to plan enemy placements and dungeon layout.
The job listings do not reveal whether or not this upcoming game is a brand new story. In the six years between Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild, Nintendo only created mainline Zelda titles that connected to older games. 2015's Tri Force Heroes, for example, is a sequel to 2013's A Link Between Worlds, which itself is a sequel to 1991's A Link to the Past. 2013's The Wind Waker HD, 2015's Majora's Mask 3D, and 2016's Twilight Princess HD are all remasters of classic Zelda titles.
The job postings also don't specify work on the next game in the franchise, just a game in the series, so there's a chance the upcoming The Legend of Zelda title could be a sequel story or HD remaster of an older story as opposed to something completely new. A remaster of an older Zelda game would explain the emphasis Nintendo is placing on dungeons. This is, however, simply a guess and not something to be taken as fact.
Last year, The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma said there is a possibility that there would be another Zelda game on Nintendo Switch. He also mentioned that the next mainline game in the series could be multiplayer-focused.
Ubisoft has announced the first details for the next expansion for Rainbow Six Siege. Titled Operation Wind Bastion, the expansion will add two Operators and a new multiplayer map at the start of Year 3, Season 4.
The new Operators will be an Attacker and a Defender that come from the Kingdom of Morocco's GIGR (Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Royale). In a blog post, Ubisoft describes the new Attacker as a care-free yet resourceful explorer who is "an expert on environmental operations with a knack for pushing the enemy back." The Defender is described as a stoic commander who "inspires respect and has taken it upon himself to guide the future of Moroccan Special Forces."
The new map, called Fortress, is a military facility in the Atlas Mountains. According to Ubisoft, the "map will be comprised of two distinguishable sections offering a variety of open space, points of cover, and lines of sight for both close and long range engagements." Fortress is also "the first ever map to be heavily associated with an Operator." Ubisoft has not announced whether that Operator is one of the two new ones, or a member of Siege's existing roster.
Operation Wind Bastion's full reveal--as well as the rest of new content for Year 3, Season 4--will be made at Siege's Pro League Finals on November 17-18. One of the major changes coming to Siege at the start of Season 4 will be censorship of certain in-game environments and icons. Ubisoft is removing references to specific mature content, like gambling and sex, in Siege ahead of its release in Asian territories that have heavier content restrictions.
Siege's last major patch, Update Y3S3.2, addressed many of the bugs that previously existed in the game. The update also added balancing changes to both Clash and Maestro, two Operators that Ubisoft felt were underused. Two firearms, the SMG-11 and Vector, were also patched to reduce recoil and improve the weapons' handling.
Rainbow Six Siege is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
BioWare has announced that the Xbox One version of Mass Effect Andromeda is now X-enhanced. The patch enhances Andromeda on Xbox One X, offering better resolution and HDR support.
The new update is a part of 2018's N7 Day celebration. N7 Day is an annual celebration of Mass Effect games, comics, movies, and culture that occurs on November 7. BioWare usually uses the date to announce new updates or expansions for old Mass Effect games.
During the announcement video for the new update, BioWare also teased the next Mass Effect game. After Andromeda's less than stellar launch, BioWare put work on the Mass Effect series on hiatus, and hasn't revealed concrete details about what the next game in the franchise might look like. However, earlier in the year, BioWare general manager Casey Hudson revealed that work on something new had begun.
"Our Star Wars: The Old Republic team is hard at work on some amazing plans for the coming year, with new features and surprises that I think makes it the game's most exciting year yet," wrote Hudson in a blog post. "And yes--we hear loud and clear the interest in BioWare doing more Dragon Age and Mass Effect, so rest assured that we have some teams hidden away working on some secret stuff that I think you'll really like--we're just not ready to talk about any of it for a little while…"
In our Mass Effect Andromeda review, Scott Butterworth gave the game a 6/10, writing, "The game can't escape its shortcomings, but patient explorers can still find a few stars shining in the darkness."
Mass Effect Andromeda is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
Studio Wildcard has announced that the new expansion for Ark: Survival Evolved, titled Extinction, will go live on PC today. Extinction continues Ark's story by pitting humanity against giant mega-dinosaur creatures called Titans.
Defeating the raid boss-like Titans is the centerpiece to Extinction, but the expansion also adds more creatures to tame and technology to utilize. Cryopods, for example, are handy pieces of tech that allow you to store your creatures and easily carry them around in your inventory. You'll be able to transfer your preexisting characters into Extinction, but your items and tamed creatures will have to stay behind. Whatever you claim in Extinction, though, can be brought back with you into Ark's older maps.
"We will be introducing North American and European Extinction servers first," Studio Wildcard senior community manager Jen Stuber wrote in a Steam blog post. "We will be releasing an initial start batch of servers, and bringing more servers online as needed so please be patient for us during this period. The servers will be the standard 70-player cap. Extinction will be included in all CrossARK clusters (except 'TheHundred'), as well as Conquest and Small Tribes servers."
Extinction's PC servers have launched, after experiencing brief technical issues. Both the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Extinction will launch on November 13. Extinction comes included in Ark's Season Pass, but can be purchased separately as well.
The PC version of Ark: Survival Evolved is being offered as free-to-play until November 11 on Steam. You can also buy the game at a discounted price of $20 / £18 / €22 until November 13.
A new update for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds adds new content to the game and fixes several of its bugs. The most noticeable change is the addition of Suicide Squad-themed skins that allow players to dress up as the movie's Harley Quinn or Joker.
Both characters are sold as in-game skin bundles. Harley Quinn's bundle includes the character's "Daddy's Lil Monster" outfit and a special baseball bat skin for the crowbar and machete. Joker's bundle includes the "Night Club Suit" outfit. Both bundles also include the character's hair and makeup options if you want to create their faces on your own custom in-game avatar.
Harley Quinn's bundle costs 2500 G-Coin, while Joker's is 2000. You can also buy the individual pieces of each bundle as well. Harley's outfit is 2000, her hair is 500, her make up is 500, and her bat is 300. Joker's outfit is 1500, and his hair and make up are both 500. As opposed to BP, which is earned through playing PUBG, G-Coin is bought with real cash. You can buy 500 G-Coin for $5 USD, 1100 for $10, or 2300 for $20.
If purchased, these options will appear under PUBG's new "Make Up" tab in the "Appearance" category. For the most part, changing a character's face, hair, make-up, and gender will also no longer cost BP. A few paid items are exempt from this.
The update also adds a new supply system and custom matches to the Xbox One version of PUBG. The game's texture streaming has also been optimized and a bug in the Training Mode has been fixed. The full patch notes are on PUBG's forums, but we've listed the highlights below.
If you're curious about trying PUBG on Xbox One, the console version of the game is free to download and play November 8-11.
PUBG Xbox One Update #3 Patch Notes
Supply System
Added Supply System
Earn XP through play time and completing missions to level-up and obtain rewards.
Each 10 levels you will receive a permanent reward.
Every level-up on the way to each permanent reward will grant you BP and also a chance to receive an additional permanent reward.
You can level up and get rewards when you fill the Survival gauge with survival XP
You must click "Claim" to receive the completed mission XP
Observing teammates grants 50% less XP than while alive
Skin & Items
Added a "Make Up" tab in the "Appearance" category.
The "Appearance" category has been added to the store, where you can purchase additional Hair and Make-up options.
Changing "Appearance" such as face, hair and/or gender will not cost BP (some paid items for face and make-up are excluded from this).
Custom Match
Custom matches have been added and custom match creation is available for all players.
Known issue: You may experience short instances of hitching in the custom match lobby when assigning or moving teams.
Custom match list can now be viewed after selecting custom match game mode.
Normal mode: Classic battle royale rules—be the last person (or team) standing
War Mode: Team deathmatch with respawns. The team with the most points (kills and knocks) wins.
After selecting your preferred game mode, custom matches can now be created using presets.
Each game mode currently has a default preset and one additional preset available.
War Mode includes the Desert Knights preset.
Normal Mode includes Sanhok Forty Fivers preset.
Rules: Set number of players, team size.
Basic: Set game mode, password, map, weather, etc.
After creating the match, the settings can be adjusted using the options in the Basic and Rules menus.
Normal Mode includes the Sanhok Forty Fivers preset.
Things to keep in mind when creating custom matches:
At least 10 players are required to start the match.
You can keep the game in a waiting room for up to two hours.
Performance
Optimized texture streaming to reduce hitching
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug where upon completing a match in Training Mode, you would receive two wins that counted towards Game Hub stats
Blizzard executive producer Allen Adham has announced that more of the developer's IPs may get the mobile game treatment. The news comes out after the announcement of Diablo Immortal, a mobile title that's part of the Diablo franchise.
"In terms of Blizzard's approach to mobile gaming, many of us over the last few years have shifted from playing primarily desktop to playing many hours on mobile, and we have many of our best developers now working on new mobile titles across all of our IPs," said Adham during a BlizzCon 2018 press conference, according to a Reddit user. "Some of them are with external partners, like Diablo Immortal; many of them are being developed internally only, and we'll have information to share on those in the future. I will say also that we have more new products in development today at Blizzard than we've ever had in our history and our future is very bright."
Blizzard's four main franchises are Diablo, Warcraft, StarCraft, and Overwatch. The developer has already enjoyed success with Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, a free-to-play collectible card game based on the Warcraft series, that originally released on PC before being ported to mobile.
Diablo Immortal is a sequel to Diablo II and prequel to Diablo III, focusing on the adventures of certain series characters between those two games. After its announcement, Immortal faced widespread backlash from Diablo fans, many of whom were hoping the next game announced for the series would be Diablo IV. However, after playing Immortal ourselves, we're surprisingly impressed with what's been done. According to Blizzard, more Diablo is on the way, and not all of it is going to be for mobile.
The first season of Mayans MC has come to an end and what a story it told. Sons of Anarchy fans hoping for a nice and easy follow up to the original series were in for a shock quickly, as they learned this particular club is riddled with fractures among its members.
Still, through new characters, a different location, and a healthy dose of references and Easter egg nods to Sons of Anarchy, Mayans MC has managed to become an exciting show to watch. One that, quite honestly, we can't wait to have return.
How closely were you paying attention to this season, though? Did you realize the show was stuffed with Sons of Anarchy references, ranging from bringing back fan-favorite characters to even small nods to former plots?
After watching this season, we've dug through so much Sons of Anarchy lore that it's as if the original show never ended. Thankfully, that's amounted to a pretty comprehensive collection of the Easter eggs dropped into Mayans MC by co-creator Kurt Sutter and his creative partners on the series. How many of these did you spot? And what did we miss? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
1. RIP SAMCRO
The references to Sons of Anarchy start from the opening seconds of Mayans MC. Signaling the end of one era and the beginning of another, EZ Reyes runs over a dead crow--the spiritual representation of Sons of Anarchy. In the original series, crows were often shown in relation to the club, including the series finale when one is shown after the death of Jax Teller.
2. Welcome Back, Gemma
Also appearing in the first episode of Mayans is the former SAMCRO queen herself, Gemma Teller. Gemma pops up in a flashback to EZ's time at Stockton State Prison, which we'll get to. She doesn't have much to say, other than calling EZ and Emily "a**holes." Then again, this is Gemma we're talking about, so it works.
3. Serving time at Stockton State Prison
Stockton State Prison may not be a place in the real world, but it has a lot of history in the Sons of Anarchy universe. Whenever a club member got locked up, this is where they landed. Most notably, it's where Otto spend his entire run on the show. Knowing that it's where EZ went after he was sentenced, putting him behind bars at a time when the majority of SAMCRO was locked up, created numerous crossover opportunities in the future.
4. It's not Mayans without Alvarez
And what would the Mayans be without El Padrino? While the Season 1 finale sets up an interesting story for Alvarez leaving the club to work for Miguel Galindo, his importance to this club cannot be understated. Having Alvarez, a regular figure on Sons of Anarchy, come to Mayans MC not only legitimized this group but the show as a whole. He's the bridge between the two series, helping fans more easily slide into this new piece of the world.
5. We missed you, Chucky
When Chucky first popped up on Mayans, something felt right about it. On Sons of Anarchy, he was the little compulsive masturbator that could and knowing he's not only survived this world but thrived in it makes us happy. Now, though, after being won by Coco in a poker game, he works for the Mayans.
6. Nothing good comes from the Galindo Cartel
The Galindo Cartel was bad news on Sons of Anarchy, beginning with their arrival in Season 4 of the original show. With Mayans, they're an even more powerful force thanks to their new leadership in Miguel Galindo.
7. Leave a message after the beep
This particular Easter egg doesn't really mean anything for the larger story of this universe, but it's a very clever wink to fans of the franchise. In the episode "Búho/Muwan," a card is seen with a phone number written in it. Had fans called the number immediately following the episode, they would have heard the voice of Gemma Teller.
"Hi, you've reached the Teller-Morrow Garage. Nobody's here to take your call--because we're all f***ing dead," she said.
8. Lincoln Potter is back to cause trouble
Where the Galindos go, so goes Lincoln Potter. Chances are this is the last Sons of Anarchy face you expected to see on Mayans MC, but his introduction on the new series has really helped to drive this first season--and whatever is to come.
9. A clever way to run guns and a nod to the past
This is another clever nod to Sons of Anarchy that doesn't necessarily mean anything larger. It was the Season 2 episode "Eureka" that saw SAMCRO hiding the guns they were running in bedrolls, making what looks like a charity run an easy opportunity to move their illegal firearms. When the Sons reemerge on Mayans, it's revealed they're still trafficking their weapons the same way.
10. The return of the crow
While the series premiere of Mayans MC showed a dead crow being eaten by a dog, the Season 1 finale turns the tables. Now the dog is dead, being eaten by crows. This makes it clear that something big is coming and SAMCRO is going to be involved.
11. What did you do, Happy
Of all of the people it could have been, Happy was the killer? When SAMCRO member Happy arrived in the Mayans MC Season 1 finale, it was exciting to see. Now, though, knowing he's the man who killed EZ's mom, it sets up a heartbreaking Season 2. What's more, it could very well end up putting SAMCRO and the Mayans at odds with each other, leading to even more Easter eggs when the show returns.
Believe it or not, Black Friday 2018 is right around the corner--two weeks from this Friday, in fact. The end of the year is approaching, and the holiday season brings with it the biggest shopping day on the calendar in the United States, family time be damned.
Even with a couple weeks to go before Black Friday--it takes place on November 23--we've already begun to get a look at the deals that will be available. Most notably, we got Target's ad early, giving us a look at what will be on sale across games, tech, and entertainment, and that's been followed by two other huge ones, Walmart and Best Buy. Sam's Club is also have a pre-Black Friday sale that has some nice deals for game fans, as is Best Buy.
As always, tracking what's on sale and where can be an overwhelming task, as can determining what the best deals are. We'll be doing our best to help you stay on top of this so you can make the most of Black Friday (and Cyber Monday immediately after that) without having to drown in a sea of circulars and hastily scrawled post-it notes. Below, you'll find our complete coverage of the event; be sure to check back as more ads are revealed in the lead up to the big day.
Platforms And TVs
PS4
All PS4 Deals
If you're looking for all things related to PS4, we've collected every deal announced so far for the platform--including consoles, accessories, and games--in one story. Among the highlights is a $200 PS4 bundle that comes with Marvel's Spider-Man at Target.
Those specifically hunting for a PlayStation 4 are in luck, as the console will be on sale in addition to many of its games. We'll be keeping an eye on all the ads as they come out to find out exactly where you should head for a PS4.
For a look at all things Xbox One, we've put together a roundup of every announced deal related to the system. That includes deals on consoles, games, and accessories. One of the best offers we've seen so far is a $400 Xbox One X bundle with a whopping $120 in Kohl's Cash from (you guessed it) Kohl's.
Whether you're hunting for an Xbox One S or an Xbox One X, you'll have some options this year. We're keeping track of the best offers on the consoles to help make it easy for you to pick one up.
Nintendo Switch has had a big second year on the market, and whether you're looking for discounted games or some kind of sale involving system itself, you'll have at least a limited number of options to choose from. That includes a free copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe when buying the console at Target.
TVs are always one of the hot-ticket items on Black Friday, and 2018 is no exception. We've rounded up all of the discounts so far and will continue to do so as they roll in.
Walmart has a huge ad full of games on sale, along with consoles and accessories. One of its best deals see Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 drop to just $40 despite its relatively recent release.
Target was the first big store out of the gate to release its Black Friday ad early, and it included a ton of stuff of interest to game fans. You'll find a PS4 with Spider-Man for $200, among other things.
If you're interested in what Target will have to offer on the gaming front without wading through a long list, we've rounded up some recommendations on the best deals it has this year. This covers consoles (with deals on Switch, PS4, and Xbox One) and games for those systems.
Alongside its game offerings, Target's early Black Friday ad gave us a look at its many movies and TV shows that will be on sale, and it includes some great sub-$10 4K movies.
Black Friday is always a great opportunity to pick up a new TV for relatively cheap, and 4K TVs are among the variety of tech items you'll find discounted at Target.
Kohl's doesn't sell many games, but it oftentimes has some excellent deals come Black Friday. 2018 is no exception, as it might be the best place to buy an Xbox One X.
Kohl's might primarily be a clothes retailer, but it does sell a limited number of electronics, like TVs. These are discounted in addition to netting you some Kohl's Cash.
Black Ops 4 represented a significant shift for the Call of Duty series, dumping a traditional single-player campaign and introducing a battle royale mode, Blackout. It's another game that, despite having only just been released, will be on sale come Black Friday.
God of War has been one of the year's standout games so far. It will be discounted this Black Friday, and thanks to the fact that it came out earlier in the year, the savings are even greater than with some of its fellow triple-A games that launched more recently.
We should have a firm idea of everything that will be on sale well in advance of Black Friday, but while we wait for all of the ads to come in, we've previewed what to expect from this year's big day. That may help you determine if you should buy something now or wait for a possible deal later this month.
Anybody can walk into a story on Black Friday or browse to a retailer's website, but there are tips and tricks to best approaching it. We've put together a guide to help you make the most of all the big sales.
It's been exciting times in the world of Fortnite lately. The Halloween event, Fortnitemares, came to a close--and in quite spectacular fashion, with a one-time event that transported players into an alternate world. In the aftermath of the event, Kevin the cube has vanished, and a new land mass has appeared in Loot Lake. The full implications of this remain to be seen, but we expect developer Epic Games will be digging into the mysteries of the new location over the coming weeks. In the meantime, there are challenges to be completed.
At this point all of this should be second nature, but here's a quick primer for the newcomers: Each week there's a fresh set of Fortnite challenges for players to complete. By doing so, players earn Battle Stars which level up the Battle Pass and unlocks cosmetic rewards. Some challenges, and thus unlocks, are exclusive to those that have spent money on a paid-tier for the Battle Pass.
This week's challenges are pretty straightforward. On the free side, you'll need to get seven ammo boxes in a single match, deal 500 headshot damage to enemies, and--as part of a three stage challenge--deal 300 damage to opponents in a single match. Once you've done that, the next stage will reveal itself, and the same goes for the third stage.
For those that have paid for a Battle Pass, you'll need to do another multi-stage challenge which begins with destroying 50 trees. There's also a third multi-stage challenge that kicks off with consuming five apples. Other challenges in this tier involve skydiving through 20 floating rings and eliminating three opponents in Pleasant Park.
Fortnite Season 6, Week 7 Challenges
Free
Search 7 Ammo Boxes in a single match (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Deal headshot damage to opponents (500) -- 5 Battle Stars
Stage 1: Deal damage to opponents in a single match (300)-- 2 Battle Stars
Battle Pass
Stage 1: Destroy trees (50) -- 5 Battle Stars
Skydive through floating rings (20) -- 5 Battle Stars
Stage 1: consume 5 Apples (5) -- 10 Battle Stars
Eliminate opponents in Pleasant Park (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
Epic recently rolled out Fortnite update v6.22 and introduced two new limited-time modes. The first LTM is Team Terror, which pits two teams of 32 against each other with the goal of wiping out the opposing side. However, Cube Monsters, the enemies that players had to battle against during the Fortnitemares event, will also be out for blood.
The second LTM is Blitz, which speeds up the Battle Royale formula by making the storm circle start to close in right from the start of the match. On top of that, it'll shrink more frequently than usual, so matches should last around 15 minutes.
The patch also introduces the new heavy assault rifle. Plus the update laid the groundwork for new NFL skins that are expected to be out later this week. If you've still got outstanding challenges from previous weeks check out our Season 6 challenge guide.
With Black Friday approaching--it falls on November 23 this year--more and more retailers are releasing their Black Friday ads early. That's a good thing for shoppers, because it allows us to compare prices, plan our purchases, and decide which doorbusters to go for. Walmart's Black Friday ad is now available, so let's look at all the upcoming deals on video game consoles, games, and accessories.
As with many other retailers, Walmart isn't waiting until Friday to begin offering its discounts. Most Walmart stores will open at 6 PM local time on Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving in the US). Online shoppers will get access to the discounts even earlier; Black Friday deals at Walmart.com will start on Wednesday, November 21 at 10 PM ET (7 PM PT).
On the hardware side of things, Walmart will have a deal on nearly every console on the market. You'll be able to get a PS4 Slim 1TB with Spider-Man for $200. The Xbox One S Minecraft Creators Bundle will be marked down to $200, and you'll be able to save $100 on an Xbox One X, bringing the price down to $400. Nintendo Switch will still cost $300, but you'll get a free copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the purchase. Finally, Nintendo 2DS with Super Mario Maker will be $80.
When it comes to games, it might be quicker to list the ones that won't be on sale. There will be tons of great deals, making Black Friday a good time to grab anything you've had an eye on recently. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will be marked down to $40, which is $5 cheaper than it will be at Target and Best Buy. Assassin's Creed Odyssey is dipping to $35, as is Destiny 2: Forsaken Legendary Collection. And while they're not getting discounts, Walmart is offering exclusive steelbook versions of Fallout 76 and Red Dead Redemption 2 for $60 each.
You can find the full list of discounted items for each platform below. And if you want to see all the other items Walmart will have on sale, check out the full Walmart Black Friday ad.
By Anonymous on Nov 08, 2018 11:27 pm It's GameSpot's 72 Extra Life 2018 Livesteam! Come hang out with us while we play games and donate to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Donation Link: https://tinyurl.com/gsextralife2018
The Castlevania games are well known for a few specific things, like elaborate levels, cheesy dialogue, and atmospheric design. Music ranks high among those characteristics, which made it extremely weird when the first season of Netflix's Castlevania show included exactly zero music from the Castlevania games. Fans hoped showrunner Adi Shankar would correct that in Castlevania Season 2, and those who watched all the way to Episode 7 weren't disappointed.
Why did it take so long for the Castlevania show to finally use some of the games' iconic music? We asked Shankar, who also produced the recent rap battle satire movie Bodied with Eminem, during a recent interview.
"It is a process," Shankar said. "I'm not making a commentary of how difficult of a process, but I'm just saying, yeah, it is a process."
The Castlevania franchise is owned by Konami, a Japanese company that famously has not seemed particularly interested in catering to what fans of its games want in recent years. Bloody Tears, the song used in Episode 7's impressive and game reference-heavy battle, was originally composed by Kenichi Matsubara and was first heard in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, a NES game released more than three decades ago. Needless to say, the licensing process for it and similar tracks may be more complex than fans assume.
But aside from that, Shankar didn't want to turn Castlevania into the kind of show that buys fans off with endless fan service.
"It was good to build to it, because it makes the use of it more meaningful," he said. The same went for Trevor's whip, which the character upgraded to the famous Morning Star during Castlevania Season 2: "There's a version of the show out there where literally every episode Trevor is getting an upgrade," Shankar said, and he didn't want to fall into that trap.
"At a certain point these things kind of lose their impact and meaning," he said, emphasizing that using the song there wasn't intended as some kind of cheap surprise. It's a moment of pay-off to things that have been building throughout Season 1 and 2, not simply a wink toward fans.
"Ultimately what we're trying to do here--with any kind of entertainment--is to evoke, provoke, make you feel a broad spectrum of emotions," Shankar said. "This is one of the notes we were able to hit--no pun intended. It's that--I don't want to say the nostalgia note, but it is a note we were able to hit, and it's one of those notes that has diminishing returns if you hit it too many times."
The music isn't the only thing Castlevania fans get nostalgic for. The show's three protagonists--Trevor, Alucard, and Sypha--are all playable characters from Castlevania III. The show also took inspiration from other Castlevania games, including Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness. Shankar said he likes to take characters and other elements from these games and flesh them out beyond the relatively basic characteristics present in their original incarnations--but in a way that makes sense to fans.
"Those early games were not able to communicate the subtle characterizations, the subtle nuances, because early games didn't have a way to communicate that," he said. "All of us felt--Warren Ellis, myself, Kevin [Kolde], my partner on the show--that it was really important to expand the world of the show."
He compared it to the Marvel universe, which spans comics, games, movies, TV shows, and more, all with their own continuities that run in parallel, and each medium with its own strengths and focuses. "In all these different universes, some events play out exactly the same, some things play out slightly differently," he said. "Some characters show up in slightly different timelines and slightly different forms. Sometimes the power balance is different, right? That's very much the same deal with Castlevania. Our show takes place in a parallel timeline--a parallel universe--to that of the games."
"Which, by the way, the games also have multiple timelines in and of themselves," he added.
By Season 2's conclusion, many of the storylines begun in the show are wrapped up neatly. But it also leaves our heroes in a position to have more adventures--and several villains remain in the mix as well. Netflix recently confirmed that Castlevania Season 3 is a go, and Shankar said they already have plans in place.
"I'm trying to think of what I can and can't say," he teased. "We have Season 3 mapped out. A big thing about this show is none of us want to be just making it up as we go along...Every single time, we take a look at how much time we have to tell the story and how many resources we have to tell it. But there's a plan in place. There's an arc in place. When Season 3 comes out you will see that Season 2 set up the events of Season 3. There's still this cast of nefarious characters out there."
"And don't forget this is also a massive world," he continued. "The world of Castlevania, of the--let's call it the Castlevania cinematic universe for our discussion--in that cinematic universe is this massive landscape, and what we saw [in Seasons 1 and 2] is a story on that board. But there are far reaching ramifications for all the events that transpired in Season 1 and Season 2."
What's his overall goal for Castlevania Season 3? "An Emmy nomination--that would be pretty tight," Shankar said. He'll have our vote whenever Castlevania returns to Netflix, which will hopefully happen sooner rather than later. You can catch Season 1 and 2 streaming on Netflix now.
It's that time of the year where Black Friday deals start rolling in, and retailers have jumped into season of sales by revealing their deals well ahead of the day itself. There are plenty of games that you'll be able to get for cheap, but here, we're focusing on how you can save a few bucks on Microsoft's consoles this year. Xbox One S and Xbox One X consoles are seeing some price drops, so if you've been eyeing either system, you may want to take advantage of these deals. We've compiled what's been revealed as of now for Xbox One's family of consoles.
Kohl's will be offering a 1TB Xbox One S Minecraft Creators Bundle and $60 in Kohl's Cash for $200. The Xbox One X 1TB bundle with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and $120 in Kohl's Cash is going for $400. Kohl's deals begin Monday, November 19 at 12:01 AM CT online and Thursday, November 22 at 5:00 PM in stores.
Walmart is going to offer the 1TB Xbox One S Minecraft Bundle for $200 and a 1TB Xbox One X for $400. Additionally, all other Xbox One X bundles will be $70 off and Xbox One S bundles will go for $230. Sales begin Wednesday, November 21 at 10:00 PM ET online and store doors open Thursday, November 22 at 6:00 PM.
Best Buy will offer one of the better deals with a 1TB Xbox One X Battlefield V Special Edition bundle that comes with an extra controller for $430. It'll also be selling the 1TB Xbox One S Minecraft Creators bundle for $200. Best Buy is dropping deals everyday online, but kicks off its in-store sales Thursday, November 22 at 5:00 PM.
Target will have the same 1TB Xbox One S Minecraft Creators Bundle for $200 as well, but its also advertising $70 off all other Xbox One consoles, though its not entirely clear how this affects bundles. Some deals will start at an unspecified time online, but Target's doors open Thursday, November 22 at 5:00 PM.
It's still early, so we're continually tracking Black Friday sales as they pop up and updating our list as we go. You should note that retailers may run out of stock at any point during sales. Retailers are also only offering certain deals in-store, so be sure to check the conditions for sales you're interested in. Lastly, stores opening times may vary by location, so check with your local retailer.
Xbox One S
Kohl's
Xbox One S 1TB Minecraft Creators Bundle + $60 Kohl's Cash -- $200
Walmart
Xbox One S 1TB Minecraft Creators Bundle -- $200
Xbox One S Bundles -- $230 (each)
Best Buy
Xbox One S 1TB Minecraft Creators Bundle -- $200
Target
Xbox One S 1TB Minecraft Creators Bundle + $20 Target Gift Card -- $200
Xbox One S Consoles - $70 OFF
Xbox One X
Kohl's
Xbox One X 1TB PlayUnknown's Battlegrounds Bundle + $120 Kohl's Cash -- $400
Walmart
Xbox One X 1TB -- $400
Xbox One X Bundles -- Prices May Vary ($70 OFF)
Best Buy
Xbox One X 1TB Battlefield V Special Edition + Extra Controller -- $430
Nintendo Switch is a little more of a multi-purpose device today, with the addition of a YouTube app. You can now download the YouTube app through the Nintendo eShop for free, and notably you don't need Nintendo's online subscription service to use it.
The app allows you to watch anything in YouTube's catalog in both docked and handheld modes. That includes tons of original content from users, along with livestreams, how-to guides, music, and more. You can log in with your Google account to access your preferences, playlists, and recommendations.
YouTube is just the second streaming video service to come to Nintendo Switch, after Hulu was added in November 2017. The company is still exploring bringing other video apps like Netflix to the console.
Nintendo Switch is first and foremost a gaming device, and hasn't pursued multimedia functionality as aggressively as its competitors, PS4 and Xbox One. Nintendo just recently started up its own paid service to play most games online, and threw a few other perks into the mix for good measure. It also gives access to cloud saves, and a growing library of classic NES games. This month it will add three more games. Fortunately, though, video services are exempt from the online requirement, so you can stream to your heart's content even if you haven't signed up for the service.
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