Universal Studios Orlando is preparing to launch the latest addition to its Wizarding World of Harry Potter with Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. The "immersive" roller coaster puts visitors on Hagrid's motorcycle as they journey through the Forbidden Forest and come face-to-face with a number of magical creatures from the world of the Harry Potter books and films. The creatures aren't all that's in store, though.
Universal Orlando has unveiled its first look at the animatronic figure of Hagrid that will be seen in the coaster, and it's scarily realistic. Like, a few steps removed from a Harry Potter-themed version of Westworld realistic.
According to a press release, Hagrid's face was sculpted by hand, while actor Robbie Coltrane's mouth was scanned to recreate the character's teeth. Coltrane also recorded new dialogue for the animatronic, while the character's costume was designed by the team that dressed him in the films.
"Hagrid is such an iconic character and an integral part of the Harry Potter franchise, so we were excited to develop a truly innovative and authentic animated figure to bring him to life for this experience," Universal Creative senior vice president Thierry Coup said in a statement. "We worked tirelessly to make sure Hagrid's full essence was captured with the utmost attention to detail for our guests to feel completely immersed in this all-new adventure."
You can see just how detailed the Hagrid animatronic is in the images above and in the trailer below. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opens at Universal Orlando on June 19. Between this and the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom parks, it's an exciting summer to be a theme park fan.
Warner Bros.' live-action Detective Pikachu movie hits theaters later this week, and Niantic is celebrating its premier with a special event in Pokemon Go. Beginning tomorrow, May 7, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST (6 AM AEST on May 8), players will have a chance to capture Pokemon from the upcoming film--including a new Shiny Pokemon and Detective Pikachu itself.
From May 7-17, Pokemon that star in the Detective Pikachu movie, such as Bulbasaur, Snubble, Psyduck, Jigglypuff, and Aipom, will appear in the wild more frequently than normal. Some movie Pokemon will also appear as Raid bosses, and players will have a chance of coming across a Shiny Aipom. On top of that, a Pikachu wearing a detective's hat may photobomb any Go Snapshots you take; if that happens, you'll have a chance to catch it.
Beyond the increased Pokemon spawns, you'll earn twice the usual amount of XP for every Pokemon you capture during the Detective Pikachu event. Niantic is also distributing special Field Research tasks at Poke Stops, and there are Detective Pikachu-themed clothing items for purchase from the Style Shop, including a shirt featuring the film's logo and a detective hat with Pikachu ears.
Detective Pikachu hits theaters on May 10. The movie is based loosely on the 3DS game of the same name and stars Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the titular Pokemon. "Detective Pikachu should prove enjoyable for any and all Pokemon fans, young or old," Michael Rougeau wrote in GameSpot's Detective Pikachu review. "As the first official live-action trip to the world of Pokemon, Detective Pikachu presents characters I want to see again and a setting I'd like to return to."
In other Pokemon Go news, the Legendary Lake trio--Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie--have started to appear in Raid Battles around the world following their unexpected appearance in the wild earlier this month. The game's next Community Day event, meanwhile, is scheduled for Sunday, May 19. The featured Pokemon this time will be Torchic, the Fire-type starter from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.
Usually, we keep an eye out for the best deals on new or critically acclaimed games, but the latest sale at GameStop offers the chance to pick up older titles for a fraction of their original price. Running now through Saturday, May 11, GameStop's Pre-Owned Sale offer markdowns on used games for not only PS4 and Xbox One, but also PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and DS--so if there's an older title you always meant to buy and never did, now could be a great time to snag it.
There's a lot going on in this sale, so here are the highlights: First off, most pre-owned games are marked down by $5 to $10. On top of that discount, you can get two for $20 on all pre-owned games listed as $15 or less. Pre-owned, refurbished Wii and Nintendo DS systems are $20 off, a pre-owned Xbox One (500GB) is only $150, and if you buy any pre-owned console, you'll also be eligible for a buy one, get one 50% off deal on any pre-owned PS3 and Xbox 360 games. And it's worth mentioning that all Animal Crossing Amiibo are currently buy one, get one 50% off as well.
Many recent Pokemon titles are notably marked down on 3DS, if you feel like taking a trip down memory lane before Pokemon Sword and Shield launch on Nintendo Switch later this year. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for 3DS is only $19, and usually sells for $40. Far Cry 5 on PS4 and Xbox One is down to $20, and while there aren't many Switch deals, you can grab Bayonetta 2 for $35.
See more of the best deals below, and check out the full collection of pre-owned game discounts at GameStop. Note that if you're part of GameStop's PowerUp Rewards program, the price will be even cheaper.
Following the wave of cancellations that hit all Marvel's Netflix show over the past six months, it's easy to forget that there's still one more season of Jessica Jones to come. The third season of the show is due to hit the streaming service this year, and its release has now been teased by Marvel.
In a new tweet, the studio has announced "the final season" of Jessica Jones. While it was assumed that the recent second season of The Punisher would be the last, it was released before the show was officially cancelled and just presented as Season 2. But this is not the case with Jessica Jones, which was officially axed in February. The tweet doesn't reveal when we'll see it, just that it's "coming soon." But for fans of the dark superhero drama, it's exciting news. Check it out below.
"Everything changes, and nothing really changes. People die, new people are born, and we exist in between." The final season of Marvel's @JessicaJones is coming soon to Netflix. pic.twitter.com/HswnJuCdva
Jessica Jones Season 2 will star Krysten Ritter as troubled private detective Jessica, plus Rachael Taylor (as Trish), Eka Darville (as Malcolm Ducasse), and Carrie-Anne Moss (as Jeri Hogarth). Few details about the story of the new season are known, but a trailer shouldn't be too far behind.
Jessica Jones was the second Marvel Netflix show, following Daredevil, and Season 1 was released in November 2015. Iron Fist, Luke Cage, The Punisher, and The Defenders followed, but ultimately all were cancelled. Disney launches its own streaming platform, Disney+, in the Fall and has a host of its own Marvel shows in development for the new service.
In February, Ritter posted on Instagram shortly after the show's cancellation. "It has been a dream to play Jessica alongside my amazing cast and the best crew in the business for these past 5 years," she wrote. "I am so grateful for every second of it. We have THE BEST fans. You guys mean the world to me and I appreciate you beyond words. The final season of #JessicaJones is coming later this year and I am proud of how we complete JJ's journey."
Have you already burned through everything on Netflix you've wanted to watch? Well, it's a new week, and the streaming service giant has a whole bunch of new content headed your way, including the return of a Fox television series.
The devil himself heads over to Netflix as the former Fox series Lucifer gets a brand-new season debuting exclusively on the stream service. The series centers around the Lord of Hell, who becomes bored with ruling over the bad place and moves to Los Angeles to open a nightclub. The new season debuts on May 8.
There's a new TV series headed to Netflix called Abyss you may want to check out. Two people die in separate incidents, but they've come back to life in bodies they don't recognize. The Korean science-fiction show leans heavily towards comedy, but it seems like it could be a lot of fun. Abyss hits the service on May 6.
For non-Netflix originals, on May 9, the freaky horror film Insidious arrives, and on May 10, the first season of the Ryan Murphy FX series Pose will be available to binge to your heart's content. Below, you'll find everything new to Netflix for the week of May 5-May 11. If you want to know what else is coming out this month, check out Netflix's release schedule for May.
New To Netflix This Week
May 6
Abyss -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
May 7
The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution
Queen of the South: Season 3
May 8
Lucifer: Season 4 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
May 9
Bathtubs Over Broadway
Insidious
May 10
Dry Martina -- NETFLIX FILM
Easy: Season 3 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Gente que viene y bah -- NETFLIX FILM
Harvey Girls Forever!: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
After 10 weeks and dozens of challenges, Season 8 of Fortnite is nearly over. This season of the hit battle royale game comes to an end on Wednesday, May 8, and now developer Epic Games has revealed when the next one is set to begin with its first teaser image for Season 9.
The teaser, which you can see below, confirms Season 9 will kick off on all platforms this Thursday, May 9. "The Future is Unknown," the tweet reads, suggesting the new season may have some kind of futuristic theme, while the accompanying image shows off what is presumably one of the new skins players will be able to unlock.
If history is any indication, there will likely be more teasers to come in the lead up to Season 9. Epic typically hypes up big occasions in Fortnite--be it the start of a new season or a special event, such as the Fortnite/Avengers: Endgame crossover--by meting out teaser images each day leading up to them, so we'll presumably see more over the next few days.
Epic also has a tradition of ushering in every new season with a major world-changing event in Fortnite, and one such event occurred this past weekend. On May 4, the mysterious vault in Loot Lake opened, and players who jumped inside were able to vote on which vaulted weapon or item to bring back to the game. Ultimately, the Drum Gun was chosen.
Once players returned from the vault, the volcano that sprung up at the start of Season 8 erupted, destroying Titled Towers and dramatically changing the landscape of the island. However, due to technical issues, many players didn't get to witness the event unfold as intended, so Epic is giving out the Arcana Glider for free to those who were in the Unvaulting playlist at the right time.
With Season 9 quickly approaching, time is running out to complete any outstanding Season 8 challenges and unlock the last few Battle Pass rewards. If you need help mopping up any remaining missions, you can find tips and guides for all of the trickier ones in our complete Fortnite Season 8 challenges roundup.
The latest trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home dropped a serious bombshell: the MCU has a multiverse, apparently, and that's where Mysterio is from. Maybe. We've got some conspiracy theories about just how legit that is. But either way, if we assume it's true, it would seem that Thanos' snap did more than just decimate all living creatures in the universe--it tore a hole in reality itself, and now we're seeing the consequences.
The implications here are wild--maybe even more insane than the implications of all those potential alternate timelines left in Avengers: Endgame--and could spell out the future of the MCU as we move into the mysterious Phase 4.
Let's break it down.
What does a multiverse actually do?
If you've seen Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse or if you've ever picked up a superhero comic, you already know the answer to the basics of this question. A multiverse is a system of alternate Earths all occurring at the same time in the same place as one another, separated by different dimensional vibrations. Alternate Earths have all sorts of differences from one another--everything from very slight changes (food brands being different, TV shows being canceled and renewed--you know, normal stuff) to major ones (like whole worlds populated by talking, cartoon animals.)
The function of a multiverse in many comics is to allow for unlimited avenues in storytelling and to explain away various plot holes and continuity problems that come from decades-old superheroes with constantly changing, constantly evolving lore. Multiverses are as utilitarian as they are mind bending.
Marvel's relationship with its own multiversal system is a little unique as of late. Thanks to the Secret Wars event of 2015 (not the one from the 80s, or the one from the early 2000s), a major part of the multiverse was condensed into one new Earth which brought characters from the once-isolated Ultimates universe, Earth-1601--where Miles Morales is Spider-Man--to the "main" Marvel universe, Earth-616. The process erased most everyone's memories of their previous, individual Earths, meaning that almost no one knew there was anything different about the new, amalgamated reality that had been made.
Except, you know, the handful of people who did remember what happened and--well, as you can probably guess, things were a little more complicated for them when it came to navigating the new status quo.
The point being: Marvel's history is rife with multiversal potential and basically free from rules. By introducing a multiverse, the MCU is effectively giving itself carte blanche to really start playing fast and loose with its own established history and continuity.
What does that mean?
With multiple Earths now in play, one of the biggest things the MCU can now do is "resurrect" both heroes and villains who have been taken off the board. There's now a chance we could see Tony Stark again--a different Tony Stark than the one we've dealt with in the main MCU, sure, but still Tony Stark. We could see an alternate reality version of the Skrulls, this time as a group of more familiar conquering aliens. There could be a world out there where Steve Rogers is still an active hero.
There also could be a world out there that literally is the Ultimates universe, meaning a way for the MCU to introduce a live action Miles Morales and have him make the jump into the next phase without taking Tom Holland's Peter Parker out of action. We all saw how things ended for Black Widow in Endgame, even though we know that she's reportedly still got a solo movie in the works--a multiverse means that we may not be stuck in prequel mode for that particular outing afterall. The movie could be focused on any Natasha from any version of Earth.
This actually tracks with the What If? Animated TV show announced for the Disney+ streaming service. Previously explained as "alternate" takes on major MCU moments in the spirit and style of the What If? line of comics, it would make sense for the show to actually take place in different corners of the multiverse where big events went down in totally different ways.
At the end of the day, a multiversal system is a pretty exciting prospect that takes the guard rails of the linear MCU as a whole. Of course, it also has the potential to make things even more complicated--we still don't actually know how the whole timeline thing works in the post-Endgame world--but the limitless potential of an endless list of alternate Earths certainly feels like an exciting road to travel for Phase 4.
Of course, there's also the possibility that the multiverse in Far From Home isn't what it seems. Quentin Beck is not only a villain in the comics, he's a fantastic liar known for staging elaborate illusions and tricks to defeat his enemies, so it might be best to take everything about him with a grain of salt for now. There's a very real chance that this could all be part of his game.
Sony has announced that its next State of Play event will happen on May 9 at 3 PM PT / 6 PM EDT/ 11 PM BST / 8 AM May 10 AEST. The show will last around 10 minutes and feature a new look at the PS4 MediEvil remake, as well as a brand new title.
In a post on the PlayStation Blog, social media director Sid Shuman also said that Sony will "have other updates and announcements from upcoming PS4 games." For those wondering whether there will be any more details about PS5, he said, "Don't expect any updates relating to our next-generation plans this time. Sorry."
State of Play will be streamed on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Of course, GameSpot will also carry the stream and report all the news as it happens.
PlayStation's State of Play is very much modeled on the Nintendo Direct format, though they have generally been much shorter thus far. The first one happened in March and revealed that an Iron Man PlayStation VR game is in the work. We also got a look at a number of other upcoming PS4 titles. You can catch up on everything that happened in March's State of Play here.
While Sony isn't ready to talk about PS5 in the State of Play, a few details have officially been revealed. These include its specs, confirmation of backwards compatibility, and assurance that PS VR will be supported in the next-generation PlayStation. You can read about everything we know about PS5 here.
Avengers: Endgame might be currently destroying box office records across the world, but the next Marvel movie is only two months away. Spider-Man: Far From Home is the follow-up to 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it hits theaters in July. Tickets are now on sale and the latest trailer is here, but before you watch be aware that there are major Endgame spoilers in it. This article contains Avengers: Endgame spoilers--a fact that Tom Holland warns viewers about before it begins.
January's first trailer set up the movie's basic story but with Endgame still to be released at that point, it didn't give away many plot details. This latest trailer however opens up with Peter Parker dealing with Tony Stark's passing. And Parker and his friends decide they need a vacation. However, Nick Fury gets a hold of Parker in order to get his help, as Mysterio--who is said to come from another dimension--needs to take down some gigantic bad guys, and no other Avengers are available. Check it out above.
Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker, Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio, Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, and Marisa Tomei as May Parker. It's directed by Jon Webb, who also helmed Homecoming, and it releases on July 5, 2019 (although the first showings are on July 2 in the United States). Tickets are now on sale in the US.
This is the last Marvel movie that the studio has confirmed a release date for. However, we know that several new MCU films are on the way as part of Phase 4, and presumably some announcements will be made later this year. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 is happening once more, with James Gunn back in the director's chair. In addition, production is expected to begin this year on the standalone Black Widow movie, starring Scarlett Johansson.
There are also several MCU shows in development for the upcoming streaming platform Disney+. These include a Loki series, the Scarlet Witch show WandaVision, and one focusing on Falcon and Winter Soldier. While release dates are yet to be announced, it was recently confirmed that Marvel shows will start rolling out in 2020.
Game of Thrones is one of the biggest TV shows of all time. The HBO production has a major budget of millions of dollars behind it, a team of some of the most creative and talented people making it, and presumably dozens of people pouring over every frame to make sure it's perfect. But sometimes all that isn't enough to prevent the occasional mistake from slipping through, as some viewers saw in Season 8, Episode 4, "The Last of the Starks."
Following Episode 3's massive battle against the Night King, the armies of Westeros kicked their feet back to celebrate their victory. Much merriment was being made, as heroes were celebrated and the wine was being consumed in copious quantities. Seated at the center of the head table was Daenerys, who watched as the people flocked around Jon Snow, singing praises of his prowess in battle. However, for those that were paying close attention, something in the scene stuck out like a sore thumb.
No, it wasn't the forlorn look on Dany's face, though that was certainly noticeable. It was, in fact, a coffee cup. We're not talking about a tankard full of the North's finest coffee, we're talking about a straight up, modern day coffee cup like the one you'd have handed to you at a Starbucks. Naturally, that shouldn't have been there, and the internet is having a great time poking fun at the mishap.
Mistakes happen, and as it goes this one is pretty funny. It does make you wonder how no one managed to spot the coffee cup, though. But, y'know what, they've just defeated one of the biggest threats mankind has ever faced, so people are entitled to have a coffee. Thanks a latte, Dany.
For the entirety of Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen has had a huge, unmatched trump card as she liberated cities and slaves across Essos and, finally, returned to Westeros to take the Iron Throne: dragons. The incredible power of dragonfire can melt castles and ravage armies. Dragons are so powerful, using them ushered in 300 years of Targaryen rule in Westeros, according to the show's history. Their ability to fly has put them out of reach of anybody who would try to fight back against them, and that has caused a whole lot of people to bend the knee.
Having air superiority has made Daenerys nearly unbeatable in recent seasons, but she lost one of her dragons in the war against the Night King and the White Walkers. That left her with only two.
Qyburn, Cersei Lannister's Hand of the Queen, also developed a weapon that could take down dragons, giving Cersei a chance to fight back against the otherwise unbeatable creatures. The giant crossbow, known as a scorpion, can knock dragons out of the air--and in Episode 4, "The Last of the Starks," Euron Greyjoy and the Iron Fleet manage to use them, mounted on their ships, to kill Rhaegal, the dragon Jon Snow rode in the Battle of Winterfell. That means Daenerys just has Drogon, her largest and most fearsome dragon, remaining.
But is that really it? Dragons have been a game-changer in the world, which raises an additional question: Could there be more?
Up until Dany's three dragons were born, it was common knowledge the world over that the species had gone extinct. But there are potentially more dragon eggs out in the world, left behind by the Targaryens at various points in history. If Daenerys's eggs were formerly stones (or appeared to be stones), those others could potentially still be viable as well.
In George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" books, on which Game of Thrones is based, there are a number of dragon eggs mentioned at various points. Targaryens used to give their young princes dragon eggs even as infants, to try to get the dragons to bond with them as early as possible. But not all of those dragon eggs hatched, and at various times, Targaryens took eggs with them to different places, like the Vale--and we don't know what happened to them all. There's also a mention in the companion book "The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones" of a rumor that a Targaryen dragon laid eggs in the Winterfell crypts almost two centuries before the events of the show, near the hot springs there. So there are at least a few dragon eggs supposedly lost and scattered throughout Westeros.
The interesting thing is that the return of dragons has had larger effects on the Game of Thrones world than their incredible power and military superiority. There's a big implication in both the books and the show that the return of dragons has also meant the return of magic to the world. We saw as much in Qarth in Season 2, when Daenerys dealt with the sorcerers there, and there's speculation that the time was right for White Walkers to make their push against the realms of men after centuries of no one having heard from them at all because of the rebirth of dragons. So while it's a bit speculative, it does seem possible that while Daenerys has lost two of her three dragons, they won't necessarily be the last.
For the time being, though, there's just one for sure dragon left in the world, and that's Drogon, since Viserion was killed by the Night King, turned into a wight, and killed again when Arya destroyed the White Walkers, and Rhaegal is now apparently at the bottom of the sea with a scorpion bolt in his neck. Dragons changed the world of Westeros once before, and while Daenerys's dragons haven't had the same effect that Aegon the Conquerer did when he took over Westeros and started the Targaryen dynasty 300 years before the events of the show, it still seems possible that they could change it again in the future.
Borderlands 3 can't seem to resist being caught up within yet another controversy. Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford has called out Claptrap voice actor David Eddings--who voiced the Borderlands franchise's mainstay robotic mascot every game leading up to Borderlands 3--for being "bitter and disgruntled" amongst the news that he won't be returning in the upcoming title. This drama comes on the heels of Pitchford's heated criticisms of Game Informer's coverage of Borderlands 3's implementation of microtransactions (more on that later).
This all started when Eddings himself confirmed on Twitter that he won't reprise his role as Claptrap in Borderlands 3 after the game's big reveal event last week. Eddings said it came down to a matter of payment. Eddings voiced Claptrap, a wise-cracking, sarcastic robot, in all of the previous Borderlands games when he was an employee of Gearbox. He reportedly did not receive a fee beyond his normal salary to do this when he was working at the studio; Gearbox says this kind of arrangement is normal.
No. For the first time, I insisted on getting paid for my performance and all of a sudden they couldn't afford me. Now I'm not telling them how to run their business but maybe next time they should put the $12M payment from 2K in the Gearbox bank account instead. Just sayin'...
Eddings was a decade-plus executive veteran at Gearbox before he left in 2017 to take a job at Rooster Teeth. In his tweet about Borderlands 3, Eddings said he insisted that he be paid, unlike in previous games where he reportedly recorded lines for no extra remuneration.
"For the first time, I insisted on getting paid for my performance and all of a sudden they couldn't afford me," Eddings said.
He added, "Now, I'm not telling them how to run their business but maybe next time they should put the $12M payment from 2K in the Gearbox bank account instead. Just saying'..."
That line is presumably in reference to the $12 million that Pitchford is alleged in a lawsuit to have received as a secret bonus that went to himself instead of the studio. For its part, Gearbox said this claim has "no basis in reality or law."
Regarding the Claptrap controversy, Pitchford himself commented on Twitter. He said Eddings is "bitter and disgruntled" about his departure from Gearbox. Pitchford said Eddings was terminated but did not discuss the specifics surrounding his departure.
Pitchford added that Gearbox offered Eddings twice the standard union voice actor rate to return for Borderlands 3, but he refused. "I don't want him to do it unless he wants to do it, as motivation affects performance," Pitchford said.
Gearbox released a statement regarding the Borderlands 3 Claptrap situation that attempts to clarify the facts. The company clarified that it offers its salaried employees the opportunity to do voice work in its games, but this is never a mandatory responsibility for their job requirements. "In this particular case, now that [Eddings] was no longer an employee, we offered him an industry standard rate, but were not able to reach an agreement," Gearbox said to IGN.
Stepping in for Eddings as Claptrap in Borderlands 3 is Jim Foronda. Gearbox said it is "confident and happy" with Foronda, who previously voiced Mighty Mask in the Dragon Ball Z Kai anime series.
Here's my official announcement saying what many of you already figured out: I am voicing Claptrap in #Borderlands3. Thanks for your support– I promise you all that I'll be the best Clappy I can be! And with that, I present my LEGO render of @GearboxOfficial's voiceover booth. pic.twitter.com/no2tUEe813
It's not just Eddings who won't return for Borderlands 3. Prolific voice actor Troy Baker isn't coming back to voice Rhys. The character Rhys appeared in Tales from the Borderlands voiced by Baker, but he's new to the mainline series. Baker also called out Pitchford, telling Only Single Player, "I think it's interesting that Randy Pitchford tweeted out that I turned it down and then he said he heard that I turned it down. I would fact-check before I tweet it out to the internet, is all I'm saying."
Voice actor Ray Chase, who is perhaps best known for voicing Noctis in Final Fantasy XV, is stepping in to voice Rhys in place of Baker.
This is just the latest controversy surrounding Borderlands 3. After confirming that Borderlands 3 will feature microtransactions, Pitchford called out Game Informer for what he deemed as a "shi**y clickbait headline" regarding the game's microtransactions, going on to question why the publication would "f**k me on this." Game Informer has stood by its original reporting, and Pitchford faced backlash for his comments.
As for Borderlands 3 the game, we recently spent a good amount of time with it and came away impressed. You can check out GameSpot's hands-on preview in the video embedded above, which also contains lots of new gameplay footage.
Borderlands 3 launches on September 13 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
We've got only two episodes to go before Game of Thrones is over. We've gotten the Episode 5 preview trailer to get some idea of what to expect, and it's looking increasingly likely that we will finally get Cleganebowl. If you're all caught up, be sure to check out why Missandei says "dracarys" and our rundown on the question some are asking about more dragons, as well as HBO's behind-the-scenes feature on Episode 4. And yeah, that was a coffee cup in the episode.
Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 4, titled "The Last of the Starks," in a way had it easy: It couldn't have possibly been worse than the nonsensical Episode 3, "The Long Night," which many fans feel betrayed the very core of what Game of Thrones is. With the bar set so low, Episode 4 was always going to seem better in comparison. And sure enough, it wasn't the worst episode so far in Season 8.
But there's just something off about the way Game of Thrones' final conflict--the one between Cersei, Dany, and Jon/Aegon--is taking shape. Jon's explanation that he has no desire to make a claim to the Iron Throne (which apparently took place offscreen at some point) isn't good enough for the Dragon Queen, and what do you know? This episode proved Dany's worst fears right: Now that Jon's secret is out, there's already talk of how much better he'd be at ruling.
But why? Is that conversation justified? Jon has proved time and time again that he has what it takes, but so has Daenerys. They're in the endgame, and now is no time to be sowing inner conflict on your own side. Characters like Sansa and Varys should be smarter than this (although they weren't smart enough to remember that crypts are full of corpses, so who knows?).
The easiest resolution to this whole conflict would be for Jon and Dany to get married, announce his identity to the whole Seven Kingdoms, and be stronger than ever, together, a united front of Targaryens here to take their rightful seat back. Obviously, it's Game of Thrones, so it can't be that easy, but the show hasn't presented an adequate reason why not. Because Sansa and Arya still don't trust the queen who sacrificed half her forces to defend their home? Because Varys worries that Dany would wear the pants in the relationship? All this scheming and plotting and self-sabotaging feels contrived, because in this case, there's one clear path that makes the most sense, and no one's managed to come up with any adequate justification for why they can't just do this one thing the easy way.
The blame for that falls squarely on this episode's writers, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who also wrote the previous episode (and the next two, which isn't a great sign for the rest of the final season). It's clear what they're trying to do, and it's clear that they failed at it--because I just can't figure out why Jon and Dany wouldn't just make the smart choice, unite the North and South, and usher in a new age of Targaryen rule.
Elsewhere in Winterfell, "The Last of the Starks" was full of fan service--although much of it was misplaced. Ghost showed up for the third time this season, only to immediately be written off the show, without so much as a pat from Jon. The suits at HBO breathed a sigh of relief for the show's CG budget, while fans cried out at the injustice of Ghost being treated like he's just as unimportant as Daario F***ing Naharis. Ghost's casual dismissal was almost as bad as the episode cutting away from Jon telling his sisters his true identity--a conversation fans have been awaiting for decades. Considering how much fan service this season has featured, it's frankly shocking that we didn't get to see the rest of that chat.
Jaime and Brienne got together--but only, it turns out, to make it more of a gut punch to her when he went riding back to Cersei anyway. Jaime knighted Brienne in Episode 2, and it was a beautiful culmination of both characters' arcs, fulfilling their relationship without needing to shoehorn in a romance. This final twist of the knife was, arguably, unnecessary. The fact that Jaime is most likely riding south to kill his sister himself is the plotline's saving grace--and leaving his intentions ambiguous does a decent job of keeping that tension going.
And another dragon died. Once again, Game of Thrones put cinematic showiness over plausibility, as it's hard to believe that Dany somehow failed to glimpse Euron's fleet hiding behind a rock from her vantage point hundreds of feet in the air. The camera was pointed up toward the sky when the fleet apparently came into view of the dragons, which leaves it just vague enough to be somewhat believable. But even if you buy that, it's insane that no one saw that attack coming in a figurative sense; they know about Euron's fleet, they know about Cersei's scorpions (Drogon caught a bolt back in Season 7's "The Spoils of War"), and they know that King's Landing and Dragonstone are a stone's throw from one another. Why wouldn't Euron be waiting to ambush them?
Losing yet another dragon is a massive blow to Dany, and it hurts even more because it could have easily been avoided. Maybe that's another case of the writing being bad, or maybe all the greatest minds in Westeros really are just that dumb. Who can say at this point?
With two episodes of Game of Thrones left, it feels safe to say that the show probably doesn't have many big surprises left. Some fans are disappointed the White Walkers were easily defeated in a single skirmish, while others may still hope that Jon and Dany will make peace with each other and figure out that a united Targaryen front is the strongest, easiest, and smartest way forward. Whatever you think, there's no denying that this season has been surprising so far, and despite all our gripes, there's something deeply enjoyable about that.
I believe that with the end in sight, what we're seeing is what we're getting: Jon and Dany and Cersei will vie for the Iron Throne, and whichever of them is left standing at the end will get it. It's going to be exciting, there will be plenty of fire and blood, and at this point nobody can predict what will happen next. I have plenty of complaints with the path we've taken to get here, but when it comes down to it, I'm looking forward to seeing how this all ends. Once it does, maybe George R.R. Martin can finally write the rest of the books and finish things his way. Until then, let's just try to enjoy this for what it is.
Author George R.R. Martin has provided an update on how the Game of Thrones "successor" TV shows are shaping up. In a post on his blog, Martin said three of the five shows in development are moving ahead. They're coming along "nicely," he said. As for the other two, their status is uncertain.
This news comes not long after Game of Thrones director and producer Bryan Cogman said his Game of Thrones successor show was canceled. One of the shows, which may or may not be called The Long Night, stars Naomi Watts and will start shooting this year.
This one is set thousands of years before the mainline HBO show. The other two are still working on scripts, but there is no word yet on the stories they'll tell or who may star in them.
"We have had five different Game of Thrones successor shows in development (I mislike the term 'spinoffs') at HBO, and three of them are still moving forward nicely," he said. "The one I am not supposed to call The Long Night will be shooting later this year, and two other shows remain in the script stage, but are edging closer. What are they about? I cannot say. But maybe some of you should pick up a copy of Fire & Blood and come up with your own theories."
HBO has only ordered a pilot for the Naomi Watts Game of Thrones successor show, so it remains to be seen if it will get picked up to series.
Game of Throne Season 8 is almost over. Sunday night brought with it Episode 4, and after tensions ran high (both political and bedroom related), we're fast approaching the penultimate moment in the battle for the Iron Throne. Episode 4 had a tense conclusion, and one word may have defined what happens next as one last big battle looms. Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Episode 4 follow below.
In the final moments of Episode 4, Missandei is precariously stood beside Cersei having been taken prisoner. Dany watches on as Tyrion attempts to negotiate for her life and Cersei's surrender. Unfortunately, his diplomacy fails and Cersei turns to Missandei and tells her to share any final words. Missandei looks to her queen below and declares "dracarys."
The word translates to "Dragonfire" in High Valyrian; it is the same word Dany uses to signal her dragons to fire upon her enemies. In this case, the word is a final utterance of allegiance and support to her queen, knowing full well it will be her last. It's not a far stretch to assume Missandei's last word may also be a call for Dany to destroy Cersei in the same way as she has the rest of her enemies.
The word also has some significance to the relationship between Missandei and Dany. The two first met when Missandei was still a slave who served as an interpreter to slave-trader Kraznys mo Nakloz of Astapor. Dany ultimately frees Missandei by ordering the enslaved Unsullied to turn on the slave-traders of Astapor. In the fray of the uprising, Dany turns to Kraznys and calmly says "dracarys." Upon hearing the instruction, her dragon Drogon breathes a ball of fire onto the slave-trader and reduces him to ashes. Missandei's choice of her final word is almost certainly a callback to this moment and Dany's impact on her life.
Or, you know, take it from the woman herself. After the episode aired, Nathalie Emmanuel, who portrays Missandei, tweeted, "Dracarys." She followed this up with her own personal translation, "Burn the bish."
Bethesda's next big game, Rage 2, is almost here. The game arrives on May 14, and ahead of that, Bethesda has announced that the PS4, Xbox One, and PC game has "gone gold," while the publisher also confirmed the game's minimum and recommended settings for PC.
"Going gold" means development on the base game is finished. Rage 2 was developed by Just Cause studio Avalanche Studios with support from Bethesda and id Software.
As for the PC requirements, the minimum specs show that you need a 64-bit OS running Windows 7, 8.1, or 10. You'll need an Intel Core i5-3570 or AMD Ryzen 3 1330X or better processor, along with 8 GB of RAM. The minimum specs also mention you'll need a Nvidia GTX 780 3G or AMD R9 280 3GB or better for a graphics card. 50 GB of hard drive space is needed. You can see the full minimum and recommended settings below.
Bethesda also clarified more details on Rage 2's resolution and FPS across all version. The PS4 edition runs at 1080p/30FPS, while the Xbox One edition is 900p/30FPS. If you have a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, you can expect 1080p/60FPS on either system. On PC, you can play Rage 2 at any resolution your setup allows for, and there are no frame rate caps.
Are you looking forward to Rage 2? Let us know in the comments below!
PC RECOMMENDED SETTINGS
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Win7, 8.1, or 10 (64-Bit versions)
Processor: Intel Core i7-4770 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
Memory: 8GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1070 8GB or AMD Vega 56 8GB
Storage: 50 GB available space
PC MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Win7, 8.1, or 10 (64-Bit versions)
Processor: Intel Core i5-3570 or AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
Memory: 8GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 780 3GB or AMD R9 280 3GB
Storage: 50 GB available space
ADDITIONAL VISUAL FEATURES
FOV Slider (50 to 120 degrees)
Show HUD (on/off)
Reticle Style (default/simple/none)
Motion Blur (on/off)
Depth of Field (on/off)
Ultra-wide (21:9) and Super Ultra-wide (32:9) display support (PC)
Game of Thrones' final season continued tonight with a dramatic fourth episode called "The Last of the Starks." A lot happened, and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are here to help you make sense of it all.
HBO has released a detailed breakdown mini-feature in which the show's creators take you through the key scenes and sequences, and provide insight into all the big moments. Of course you'll want to have already seen Episode 4 before diving into this video.
Looking ahead to Episode 5, HBO has already released the first teaser trailer for it. As you'd expect, it teases further dramatic events to come--check it out here.
Game Of Thrones Season 8 Episodes, Dates, And Runtimes
Season 8, the final season, of Game of Thrones is reaching its conclusion. After last night's Episode 4, called "The Last of the Starks," just two episodes remain until everything wraps up in the acclaimed and long-running HBO show. Ahead of Episode 5's arrival this Sunday, May 12, HBO has released the preview trailer for it. You can watch it above--but beware of spoilers if you haven't watched Episode 4.
The four previous episodes leaked partially or in full before their air-dates, so you can potentially expect the same to happen with Episode 5. Naturally, you'll need to be careful out there: the night is dark and full of spoilers.
Episode 4 was primarily concerned with the fallout of Episode 3's big battle with the dead, although there were some notable developments, primarily involving Dany's dragon, Rhaegal, and Missandei. Bronn and the crossbow Qyburn gave him also showed up, although it wasn't used to kill Jaime or Tyrion--yet. And The Hound left Winterfell to head south on unfinished business that we can only hope will take the form of Cleganebowl.
Episode 5, like the final episode after it, has a runtime of 80 minutes. That puts it just ahead of this week's episode and two minutes behind the record 82-minute Episode 3, which also boasted the show's best-ever ratings.
Game Of Thrones Season 8 Episodes, Dates, And Runtimes
Bayonetta developer PlatinumGames has teased that one of its next projects may be unlike anything it has made before. Studio head Atsushi Inaba told Video Game Chronicle that he's aware that's a claim that is often said, but he really means it.
"Right now we're in the middle of designing something that has never been done before," he said. "I know a lot of people say that, but the game we're working on truly is unlike anything else. Even for our varied history of veteran game developers, this is something that has never been designed before. So from a game design perspective, we're very excited right now."
That's all Inaba had to say on the subject; it's unclear when the studio may formally announce the title. Whatever the case, Inaba said 2019 is an "incredibly important year" for PlatinumGames. "Without speaking directly to the number of titles we may or may not announce, I can say it's going to be a year of some major new approaches, new challenges, and new methods for us."
He said PlatinumGames is building a "new foundation" in 2019 that he expects will pay dividends down the road.
The secret new game is believed to be a new IP. PlatinumGames is moving toward the self-publishing route, Inaba said, and this is noteworthy for a number of reasons. The Bayonetta IP is owned by Sega, not PlatinumGames, and this has led to some issues, Inaba said.
"In the case of Bayonetta it took a lot of time and energy to get it to the point where sequels could be made," he said. "It wasn't as simple as picking up the phone and asking, 'Hey, can we do this?' There were a lot of pieces that needed to fall into place and a lot of negotiating that had to occur. For us as creators, we want to get to the point where self-publishing allows us to own our IP and do what we want with it, including making sequels. So the faster we can have that freedom, the better if will be for all the creators here."
The 2018 lawsuit that alleged that Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer stole the idea from someone they worked with in the past has been dropped. Director Charlie Kessler, who alleged that the brothers stole his idea for what they later made into Stranger Things, dropped the lawsuit just 48 hours before the trial was scheduled to start on Tuesday.
His lawyer confirmed this to The Hollywood Reporter. Kessler said in a statement that the Duffer brothers "independently created the show." As THR mentions, it's unclear if Kessler was paid for dropping the lawsuit and releasing the statement, but Kessler said the decision to drop the lawsuit was not a settlement. Still, both sides declined to say if any money changed hands.
Kessler initially sued the Duffer brothers on a claim that he pitched them on an idea for a project that takes place on Long Island, New York near an abandoned military base and has sci-fi elements including government experiments.
The Duffer brothers always maintained that they created Stranger Things independently.
Intriguingly, it was believed that secrets about Stranger Things and Netflix's own business models and other financial details might have emerged if the case went to court.
"After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things. Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show," Kessler said. "As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter."
For its part, a representative for Netflix said the company is happy to "put this baseless lawsuit behind us." Stranger Things Season 3 premieres on July 4.
Avengers: Endgame continues to soar at the box office. After a second weekend at No. 1, the superhero movie has now made $2.188 billion worldwide after just 12 days. Few movies have ever topped the $2 billion mark, and now there is only a single movie to have made more than Endgame.
Endgame passes James Cameron's Titanic ($2.187 billion) to become the No. 2 highest-grossing movie in history worldwide. It only trails another Cameron movie, Avatar, which has made $2.78 billion globally.
Time it took to reach $2 billion at the box office: Titanic: 5,233 days Force Awakens: 54 days Infinity War: 48 days Avatar: 47 days Endgame: 11 days
Endgame made a further $145.8 million in the United States and Canada this weekend and $282.2 million from international markets to reach the new heights, according to EW.
The continued success of Endgame is no surprise. It opened last weekend to a record $1.2 billion worldwide. It's made $2.187 billion now worldwide after just 11 days, a new record.
Endgame is now just the fifth movie to ever pass $2 billion worldwide. It joins Avengers: Infinity War ($2.048 billion), Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2.068 billion), Titanic ($2.187 billion), and Avatar ($2.788 billion).
The movie needs to make around $580 million more to catch Avatar. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest on Endgame's box office performance.
With Endgame coming up on its two-week mark in theaters, Marvel and Sony have released the trailer for the next MCU movie: Spider-Man: Far From Home. This movie will mark the end of Phase 3, and it explicitly deals with some of the major developments from Endgame. As such, it starts out with a spoiler warning where Tom Holland advises viewers to skip the trailer if they haven't yet seen Endgame. If you've seen the trailer, be sure to give our trailer breakdown a look.
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