Destiny 2's latest timed event, the Revelry, was a nice change of pace with its new Exotic weapon and a new, more fun take on Mercury's Infinite Forest. It wasn't without its problems, though--the Revelry was all about generating Orbs of Light to allow players to activate lots of Supers, but those mechanics broke in a bunch of ways and some had to be taken offline in particular activities.
The Revelry's over, but according to its blog, Bungie's latest patch for the game, Update 2.2.2, fixes one of its lingering issues. Thanks to the broken Orbs of Light mechanics, players weren't able to unlock a Triumph for generating orbs in competitive games. This update fixes that, awarding the Triumph retroactively and allowing players frustrated with their inability to unlock a special emblem for completing all the Revelry's Triumphs to finally snag it.
The update includes a bunch of other minor tweaks and fixes. The biggest is the change to the Spectral Blades Super available to Hunters. That Super relies on players using an ability to become invisible, sneaking around the battlefield to get in close and slice up enemies when they can't see them. Bungie's latest update decreases the amount of damage attacks do when you're not in stealth, and decrease how long the Super will last when you're attacking. That'll make Spectral Blades less effective, especially in the player-vs.-player Crucible, where some considered the Super especially dominant.
You can read the full patch notes and see all the changes and fixes from Bungie below:
Patch Notes
Sandbox
Hunter
Spectral Blades
Out-of-stealth damage reduction decreased from 60% to 52%
In-stealth damage reduction decreased from 62% to 54.4%
Super duration out of stealth with no attacking decreased from 17.5 to 14.5 seconds
Super duration in stealth with no attacking decreased from 26.6 to 23.5 seconds
Light melee cost increased by 50%
Arcstrider
Fixed an issue in which Combination Blow was unintentionally magnifying damage of the Arc Staff Super
Warlock
Voidwalker
Fixed an issue where Warlocks were unable to Blink after going through a teleportation portal
Stormcaller
Fixed an issue where Chaos Reach would not deal damage to enemies affected by other status effects (such as Thorn's Soul Devourer or Hunter Tethers)
Weapons and Armor
Fixed an issue where Actium War Rig would prevent Auto Rifles with the Grave Robber perk from being able to generate Masterwork orbs
Fixed an issue where Vestian Dynasty could not be Masterworked
The Wizened Rebuke can now drop with random rolls from Iron Banner engrams and Match Rewards once the associated Triumph has been completed
Removing Sentry armor with Umbral Strike stacks active will no longer give a permanent damage buff against Taken (note that while the buff string does not clean up, the damage modifier properly clears when removing the armor; the string cleanup will be fixed in a later patch)
Investment
Lore
Fixed an issue where Dreaming City lore was not being awarded when completing an Ascendant Challenge
Bounties
Fixed an issue where the "Collect Vex Samples" objective of the Xûr bounty "The Tower" could not be completed in the Warden of Nothing strike
Fixed an issue with the Gambit Prime bounty "Sentries Hold the Line" where all boss enemies were unintentionally contributing toward bounty progress
The bounty has been re-balanced to award significantly more bounty progress for Blocker and Primeval kills
Triumphs
Lowered the Verdant Light: Competitive Triumph to require only 20 Revelry Orbs
Players who earned 20 orbs during the Revelry event will have their Triumph completed retroactively
If players completed all other Triumphs, the "Party Harder" Triumph will also be completed and grant the emblem reward
Medals
Fixed an issue where Massacre and Locksmith medals were not appearing in Gambit Prime
Iron Banner
Fixed an issue where the Iron Ruby shader was not dropping
This shader now drops when dismantling Iron Banner gear
Eververse
Fixed an issue where Legendary Eververse Ghost Shells were dropping with only Mercury perks
Fixed an issue where the "Good Doggo" emote was dropping from unintended sources
Motion Twin has released a new trailer announcing that Dead Cells is coming to mobile. The new trailer can be watched below.
Dead Cells is coming to iOS devices first, but an exact date has not yet been provided. The trailer only mentions the iPhone and iPad versions of the game are coming "soon," and that the Android version is coming "later." In a press release, Motion Twin said the mobile version of Dead Cells will feature a "revamped interface" and have two games modes: original and auto-hit. You'll also be able to customize the position and sizes of the buttons, as well as switch between using touch controls and a physical controller. The game will cost €10 (roughly $11 USD), but you get the full experience with one purchase. There are no ads or free-to-play transactions.
An indie roguelike platformer game, Dead Cells is one of our favorite titles from last year, and we included it in our list of best games of 2018. In our Dead Cell review, Daniel Starkey wrote, "[Dead Cells] gives you a sense of constant progress, even when you bomb a run. In fact, the only real issue with the adventure is that some of the better upgrades can take substantially longer than they should. It stalls progress in the mid-game a bit and can lead to a feeling of grinding your wheels. Besides that, though, Dead Cells is a phenomenal effort to blend together some very disparate genres into a tight, cohesive whole. It's one of the better examples of how to remix ideas without losing their individual strengths."
In Dead Cells, you play as a lump of undead cells that repeatedly infests host bodies and journeys out into a world that has suffered a terrible plague and is now infested by monsters and the remnants of a fallen kingdom. All weapons and items you collect are lost upon death, but certain power-ups hidden throughout the world stay with you even after you've fallen in battle. These power-ups allow you to traverse the environment in new ways and get to previously unreachable areas and bosses. As you journey further, you'll learn more about the world and what transpired to cause the collapse of civilization.
Dead Cells is one of the games featured in our new Audio Logs videos as well. In this series, we talk with the lead designers behind certain games to learn what transpired behind the scenes that make these titles as successful as they are. The Dead Cells Audio Log features game designer Sebastian Benard, who discusses hidden features within the game that ensure you die less often while playing. The video is embedded at the top of this article. Be sure to check out our other episodes as well, such as God of War director Cory Barlog explaining the process behind the PS4 exclusive's most memorable scene or Studio MDHR's Jared Moldenhauer breaking down the design of Cuphead's Dice Palace level.
As Disney continues to figure out its release schedule, which now consists of 20th Century Fox films, in addition to Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Disney titles, some releases are on the move. One of the biggest changes is the first sequel to James Cameron's Avatar.
While Avatar 2 was initially scheduled to be released on December 18, 2020, the film has been pushed back a full year. Now, the second movie will hit theaters on December 17, 2021. From there, the franchise will release a film every other December. December 22, 2023 will see Avatar 3, with Avatar 4 on December 19, 2025, and Avatar 5 on December 17, 2027. In the years that don't have an Avatar release, a Star Wars film rounds out the final month of the year for Disney.
The remaining four films in the Avatar franchise are filming back-to-back now with James Cameron returning as director. According to Sam Worthington, who stars in the movies, the story picks up eight years after the first movie.
"This is going to be Jake [Sully, Worthington's character] eight years later, and he's got a family now," the actor previously told We Got This Covered. "This film is going to be like nothing you've ever seen. The world is bigger than the first one, but essentially, it's a movie about family. Jake will still have that essence of a kid seeing the world for the first time, but he's been living in the world for a while now, so what's this world he's seeing now for the first time? The film will explore that within this family dynamic."
The first Avatar remains the top grossing film of all time with $2.7 billion at the global box office. However, it's possible that could change soon with Avengers: Endgame quickly catching up to that number.
Capcom is airing a Monster Hunter World Spring Update Reveal livestream later this week, on May 9. The broadcast kicks off at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET (12 AM BST on May 10) and will share some new information about the game "straight from the development team."
Beyond those details, Capcom hasn't specified what will be shown during this week's broadcast, although the stream will feature an appearance by Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto. You'll be able to watch the presentation in English on the Monster Hunter Twitch channel and in Japanese on YouTube.
This past December, Capcom announced a big expansion for Monster Hunter World called Iceborne. The developer didn't share many details about the upcoming DLC, but it is slated to launch for PS4 and Xbox One in Fall 2019 (with a PC release to follow) and will introduce new quest ranks, locales, monsters, moves, gear, and more to the action RPG. There is a chance Capcom will reveal more information about the expansion in this week's livestream, although that has not been confirmed.
Monster Hunter World is currently in the midst of its second annual Spring Blossom Fest. The seasonal event runs on all platforms until May 16. During that time, the Gathering Hub will be decked out with flowers and other springtime decorations, and "almost all" of the previous special Event Quests will be available again.
Monster Hunter World launched for PS4, Xbox One, and PC back in 2018 and quickly became a critical and commercial success. Capcom confirmed the game has shipped more than 12 million units across all platforms since its release, making it the publisher's best-selling game of all time. If you've yet to pick Monster Hunter World up, it's one of the many games on sale this week in the Microsoft Store.
Now that Avengers: Endgame is finally out and Marvel Studios's Phase 3 is drawing to a close with the upcoming release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, the future of the MCU is a bit of a mystery. Not only did yesterday's Far From Home trailer imply the potential for an MCU-based multiverse--which could have huge implications for the future--we've also got a whole roster of upcoming Disney+ streaming MCU TV shows. Those shows, according to Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, are going to directly impact and shape the future big-screen phases.
In a press release sent out today, Disney confirmed the release dates for their upcoming Phase 4 films through 2022, but did not include any titles. The schedule now looks like this for "Untitled Marvel films."
May 1, 2020
November 6, 2020
February 12, 2021
May 7, 2021
November 5, 2021
February 18, 2022
May 6, 2022
July 29, 2022
It's important to note that this list only includes Disney productions, so any upcoming Sony work--i.e. any Spider-Man movies after Far From Home--are not in the mix.
The roster of movies currently confirmed for Phase 4 includes a solo Black Widow film, likely one of the earlier 2020 releases; Black Panther 2, which probably holds one of the February dates in 2021 or 2022, given the first movie's Black History Month release. The recently announced Shang-Chi likely holds one of the later dates--we still only have a director attached to the project and no confirmed cast. The Eternals could occupy one of the earlier dates, given the recent blitz on casting news--but no confirmed production timeline has been released.
Also confirmed to be happening is Doctor Strange 2, which has Scott Derrickson tapped to return as writer and director, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which could hold one of the 2021 dates as well.
Of course, that only tallies up to six confirmed projects for the eight confirmed release dates, meaning we have at least two more movies yet to be announced in the upcoming phase.
Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has revealed two more Xbox 360 games are now backwards compatible on Xbox One. As usual, you can play the games on Xbox One if you already own them, but both are available for purchase on the console's online marketplace as well.
The two titles added are From Dust and Costume Quest. From Dust puts you into the role of a god-like figure, and your actions in shaping the land influence the lives of a tribe you oversee. Your goal is to nudge them along in their search for ancient totems and knowledge, all while helping them overcome natural disasters. Costume Quest, meanwhile, is a party-based RPG where you're a young trick-or-treater who must recruit allies in your search for your twin sibling, who's been kidnapped on Halloween night. In battle, you and your party members transform into the monsters and creatures you're dressed as and gain powers as a result.
In our From Dust review, Chris Watters wrote, "From Dust doesn't offer the heady feeling of omnipotence, but it's a lot more fun to have to contend with the greater forces of nature as you try to exert your influence over this raw, lovely world. The churning sea, the flowing lava, and the burgeoning forests create a vivid sense of life that is amplified by the light percussion, ambient music, and lively animal vocalizations. While the gameplay may be uneven and finicky at times, it's definitely worth taking up the manipulator's mantle in From Dust."
In our Costume Quest review, Giancarlo Varanini wrote "Without question, the art and overall premise serve as Costume Quest's biggest hook, and these things are ultimately what drive the game and turn it into something much more than a superficial RPG. Still, whether or not you can overlook and overcome its initial shortcomings is tied directly to how much you buy into its premise on a nostalgic and comedic level. That said, when Costume Quest picks up steam and truly reveals all it has to offer from a gameplay perspective, it relies less on that premise and simply delivers an all-around satisfying gaming experience."
While even the stars of the upcoming X-Men spin-off horror movie The New Mutants weren't sure when or if it would end up in theaters, the film has yet another release date. This one, however, might just be the one that sticks. Disney has announced the films it currently has slated through 2027, its film slate through 2027, including the films that come along with its acquisition of 20th Century Fox, and New Mutants is accounted for. The schedule is loaded with movies through 2022, with the years that follow only having Avatar and Star Wars released dates announced, thus far.
Since its first trailer was released in October 2017, a few release dates have been assigned, from April 2018 to August 2019. Now Disney has decided the film will finally see the light of day on April 3, 2020. That i,s unless the date changes again. It's interesting to note that beyond this movie, no other Marvel-related Fox project is mentioned in the release slate. In theory, this could mean a third Deadpool movie, should one happen, would be wrapped into the MCU. However, it could also mean we're not going to see the Merc with a Mouth for a very long time. The next film in the X-Men franchise, Dark Phoenix, will be out June 7.
A release date provided by Disney is good news for those who made New Mutants, including Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams. When asked about the project by Rolling Stone in March, she responded, "Who knows when the f*** that's gonna come out? Hopefully, this interview will make everyone hurry up a little bit." Her impatience is easy to understand given that the movie was shot two years ago.
While New Mutants is set in the X-Men movie universe, it includes a new cast of characters. The film follows five young mutants who are being held captive at a secret facility. Williams stars as Scottish mutant Wolfsbane, who has the power to transform into a wolf. Joining her in the cast are Anya Taylor-Joy (Glass), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), Blu Hunt (The Originals), and Alice Braga (Queen of the South).
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters in December, but the future of the long-running franchise on the big screen was unclear beyond that. However, release dates have now been announced for the next three Star Wars movies.
Disney has confirmed that new Star Wars films will be released on December 16, 2022, December 20, 2024, and December 18, 2026. The movies will alternate with releases of James Cameron's Avatar movies--Avatar 3, 4, and 5 will arrive on December 2023, 2025, and 2027 respectively.
Further details about the next batch of movies are currently unknown. There are two separate series in development, one from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, and the other from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. It has been rumored that work on Benioff and Weiss's series is further along, with Star Wars Net recently reporting that their first movie will begin production this fall. However, this has not been officially confirmed.
In any case, it is notable that the Star Wars release schedule has slowed down. When the series relaunched in 2015 with The Force Awakens, Disney's plan was to release a movie each year. However, the commercial failure of 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story reportedly led to plans for further spin-offs to be cancelled, with Disney boss Bob Iger admitting in September 2018 that the movies so far had been released "a little too much, too fast."
More recently, Iger described how the series was going on a hiatus after the release of The Rise of Skywalker. "We have not announced any specific plans for movies thereafter," he said. "There are movies in development, but we have not announced them. We will take a pause, some time, and reset, because the Skywalker saga comes to an end with this ninth movie. There will be other Stars Wars movies, but there will be a bit of a hiatus."
In the small screen, the live-action Star Wars show The Mandalorian premieres in the fall, when the streaming platform Disney+ launches. There is also a show focusing on the Rogue One character Cassian Andor in development for the service.
After a relatively quiet couple of weeks, the Microsoft Store is back with a huge offering of deals for Xbox One owners, including two publisher sales from Capcom and Activision Blizzard, respectively, and a spring add-on sale with discounts on a wide range of DLC. Here's an overview of what's available:
Some of Capcom's best games are marked down, including new releases like Devil May Cry 5 and Resident Evil 2, both of which are selling for $20 cheaper at $40.19. The 2001 samurai adventure Onimusha: Warlords has been remastered for Xbox One and other consoles with high-definition graphics, improved controls, and a brand-new soundtrack; you can grab it now for $15.
Activision Blizzard has a small sale of its own going on, and it includes markdowns on Call of Duty, Spyro, and Diablo. Spyro Reignited Trilogy, which released in November, is $10 off--you can claim it for $30 this week. Meanwhile, both Diablo III: Eternal Collection and Overwatch: Legendary Edition are over $40 off, each selling for only $19.79.
Call of Duty fans, you can also pick up Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - Digital Deluxe Edition for $70 (marked down from $100) and the enhanced Digital Deluxe Edition for $97.49 (originally $130). Call of Duty: WWII - Gold Edition is also discounted to $24 from $60.
If you've been holding out on certain DLC, be sure to browse Microsoft's spring add-on sale, which has over 300 season passes, upgrades, and other expansion packs discounted. The sale includes Assassin's Creed Odyssey's season pass for $22, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Black Ops Pass for $40, The Elder Scrolls Online's Summerset Upgrade for $12, and Dragon Ball FighterZ's FighterZ Pass for $17.50.
As usual, these weekly Xbox One game deals will be available through next Monday, May 13. Browse the full offering of discounts at the Microsoft Store and see some of our picks below.
Well, the Revelry is over in Destiny 2, meaning we're back to just normal activities to do with this week's reset. The good news is, there are plenty of opportunities to gather more Powerful gear if you're still working on the climb up to the Season of the Drifter's Power level cap of 700. As always, a reliable way to get the gear you need fast is with the weekly Ascendant Challenge, which takes you into the strange recesses of the Dreaming City. This is the end of the six-week cycle of challenges, and this one, the Cimmerian Garrison, is one of the spookiest and most involved. Here's where to find the Taken portal and what to do once you're inside.
As always, the first step is to pick up the Ascendant Challenge from Petra--this is what nets you a piece of Powerful gear for completing it. Once that's done, make sure you have a Tincture of Queensfoil. With that in hand, you'll enter the Lost Sector in Rheasilvia, the Chamber of Starlight. You'll need to make your way through the entire thing, as the portal is located just behind the chest that unlocks after killing the boss. While optional, you might as well complete the Lost Sector to make things easier on yourself. With that out of the way, use the Tincture to gain the Ascendance buff, which allows you to see the Taken portal. The exact location can be seen in the video above and map below.
Jump through the portal to head to Cimmerian Garrison, located in the Ascendant Plane. Here, you'll be faced with what amounts to a gauntlet--you'll need to make your way through and kill an enemy at the end. Once you go inside, you'll be chased by three knights. As you progress, you'll have to deal with various enemies, including hobgoblins, shriekers, and thrall with yellow health bars. Take them out as you go, and you'll reach a point where you have to platform across some rocks (because it wouldn't be an Ascendant Challenge without some first-person platforming). Along the way, be mindful of the Taken corruption that will periodically explode with a blast of energy, which can send you falling you to your death if you aren't careful.
Once you're done platforming, you'll have to kill a knight to finish things out, but beware the shrieker that spawns nearby. With the knight dead, open the chest to complete the Ascendant Challenge. There may not be any special rewards inside there, but you'll get a piece of Powerful gear for turning in the associated bounty.
Sony's PS4 exclusive Days Gone has topped the UK physical sales chart once again, according to sales monitor Chart-Track. The zombie freaker survival game was No.1 in its debut week and claims that spot for the second time running for the week ending May 4.
Below Days Gone, the chart paints a familiar picture. Mortal Kombat 11 keeps its place at No.2, and FIFA 19 remains at No.3. Red Dead Redemption 2 continues to chart well and stays at No.4, while fellow Rockstar game Grand Theft Auto V rounds out the top five.
Only one new release makes the top 40 this week: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age re-enters the chart at No.15 thanks to a new Nintendo Switch version.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart for this week below, courtesy of UKIE and GfK Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Season 9 of Fortnite officially kicks off later this week, and as it traditionally does before the start of every season, developer Epic Games is dropping a series of teaser images in the days leading up to it. The studio has now shared its second Season 9 teaser, and this one continues to hint at a futuristic theme for the upcoming season.
The teaser, which you can see below, offers a peek at what looks like another new skin coming to the game in Season 9. "The Future is Bright," this tweet reads, playing off the phrase that accompanied the first teaser image, which said, "The Future is Unknown."
In the past, combining each of the teasers together would reveal one larger image that signified something important for the upcoming season, and it appears Epic is continuing that tradition. The first teaser prominently featured the letter N, while the second has the letter E, suggesting the teasers will spell out some word that will presumably tie into Season 9's theme.
Season 9 of Fortnite begins this Thursday, May 9. It remains to be seen what awaits in the new season, but there are undoubtedly some big changes in store for the game's map following the unvaulting event that took place this past weekend. Players who were in a match at the right time on May 4 got to jump into the mysterious vault in Loot Lake and vote for a retired weapon to bring back to the game. Afterward, the volcano erupted, destroying Tilted Towers and altering other parts of the island.
While these world-changing Fortnite events are typically one-time-only occurrences, issues prevented some players from witnessing the unvaulting event as intended. As a make-good, Epic is giving out the Arcana Glider for free to those who were in the Unvaulting playlist at the right time. Epic also shared a replay of the event, giving players who missed it in-game a chance to watch what happened.
In the meantime, there are still a few days left to finish up any remaining Season 8 challenges and unlock the last few Battle Pass rewards. If you need help completing some of this season's missions, we've put together guides for all the trickier ones in our full Fortnite Season 8 challenges roundup.
As Game of Thrones heads towards its epic conclusion, the latest episode delivered one of the most controversial moments in the show's eight year run. Never mind the shocking twists, epic battles, and cold-blooded murder--Season 8, Episode 4 revealed that Daenerys likes to relax with a takeaway coffee. After seemingly everyone on social media took it upon themselves to inform HBO that a coffee cup had been left on the set in one shot of the latest episode, the network has now removed it.
The cup appeared briefly on a table on front of Dany, as she sits watching people flocked around Jon Snow, singing his praises for his prowess in battle. HBO subsequently admitted their mistake, amusingly stating that Dany had in fact ordered a "herbal tea." And while many presumed that the cup was from Starbucks, it was also confirmed that it was in fact from the production's craft services.
However, fans looking for the offending cup on the network's streaming platforms HBO Go and HBO Now will no longer be able to find it. Overnight the scene has been altered and the cup has gone. Check out the two comparison screenshots below:
Game of Thrones Episode 3 proved to be quite divisive among fans, but the follow-up has been more positively received. Check out our full Game of Thrones, Episode 4, "The Last of the Starks" review to see what we thought of it. You can also watch the preview trailer for Episode 5 and check out some fresh theories about where things will go from here. There are just two episodes left, but each one clocks in at 80 minutes, so there's still plenty left.
Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and content-specific services like the horror-focused Shudder allow you to check out movies that have been out for a while. However, every week, digital storefronts like Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, and more release new movies before they come out on DVD or Blu-ray, and months before they hit any streaming service. And this week, there are plenty of movies you may want to check out.
The biggest digital release of the week is How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The third installment in the heartfelt animated series follows Hiccup and his dragon Toothless, as they discover Toothless isn't the only Night Fury, and the two go on an adventure to find a secret hidden world filled with dragons.
However, the digital release you need to check out is Season 1 of YouTube Premium's Cobra Kai. The series takes place decades after the events of The Karate Kid, following Johnny Lawrence as he reopens the Cobra Kai dojo and trains new students. If you're not sure about picking it up, you can watch the first episode for free. If you love The Karate Kid, this is the perfect companion piece, and there are plenty of references to specific moments from the original movie.
As far as physical releases go, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part arrives on DVD and Blu-ray, which takes the heroes of the first film into space to stop the evil Lego Duplos. Additionally, What Men Want hits stores this week, a remake of What Women Want with the roles reversed and starring Taraji P. Henson.
Below, you'll find a listing of the most notable digital and physical releases for this week. If you plan on shopping digitally, make sure to check multiple retailers as prices and availability may vary.
EA Access is expanding to PlayStation 4 this summer. Starting in July, PS4 owners will be able to take part in the same console subscription service previously exclusive to Microsoft's Xbox One.
"As we continue to invest in digital and subscription services, bringing our games to even more people across both consoles is an exciting opportunity for everyone," EA executive VP of strategic growth Matt Bilbey said in a press release. "Our goal is to give players more choice to try and play our games wherever and however they choose and we're happy to bring the service to PlayStation 4."
On PS4, you will be able to pay for a monthly $5 / £4 or annual $30 / £20 USD subscription to EA Access. With a subscription, you get access to a vault of free EA titles, such as Titanfall 2, Star Wars: Battlefront II, and FIFA 18. Subscribers also get a 10 percent discount on all digital EA games, as well as their respective expansions and in-game purchases. Perhaps most notable is EA Access' Play First Trials, which typically gives you 10 hours of early access to all new EA titles prior to their official release.
For now, the only upcoming title scheduled to come to EA Access via Play First Trials is Madden NFL 20. That said, there are a few other games releasing in the near future, all of which most likely will be made available on EA Access at some point. Respawn is releasing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order this November, a story-focused game set during the aftermath of Revenge of the Sith. The developer has Titanfall-related projects in the works as well. There are also the annual EA Sports games, such as NHL, NBA Live, and FIFA, all of which will most likely get sequels. New EA Originals are bound to make it onto the subscription service too.
Though EA has experienced some troublesome drama in recent years, ranging from Battlefront II's microtransaction controversy to the lackluster receptions of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, EA Access is a positive step for the company. The service is a good deal for anyone looking to save on the combined retail price of the company's vast library of titles. Last year, we listed EA Access as one of the major plusses for Xbox One. PC already has a version of EA Access called Origin Access.
Monster Hunter World is Capcom's best-selling game of all time, the publisher has revealed. As part of the company's financial year 18/19 results, it was confirmed the PS4, Xbox One, and PC RPG has shipped over 12 million units.
"Monster Hunter World ... continued to report strong sales," Capcom said, "with total shipments breaking 12 million units, marking a record high for any single title in the company's history." The statement also revealed horror remake Resident Evil 2 has shipped over 4 million units, while Devil May Cry 5 has shipped 2 million. Note "shipped" only refers to units delivered to retailers, not through to consumers.
These sales have helped the company record pre-tax profits of 18 billion yen (US $164m), an increase of 13% over last year. Elsewhere in the financial release, Capcom stated its intention to improve working culture for its employees, a topic which has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months with workers from companies such as Rockstar, Epic, and many more complaining of an exhausting work life.
"Starting from April 2019, laws related to workstyle reforms will go into effect and various measures including the reduction of overtime work will become imperative," reads the statement. "As part of measures to promote work-life balance and reduce any instances of excessive working hours, the company has endeavored to improve and maintain employee health by encouraging employees to take paid leave and through holding nine safety and health committee meetings every month.
"The company is also working to create an environment with child-rearing support and other initiatives, including on-site childcare facilities, which will empower employees to pursue their careers actively. At the same time, it will seek to foster a corporate culture that provides job satisfaction in order to secure and leverage outstanding talent."
Looking to the future, Capcom is bringing the first Devil May Cry to Nintendo Switch this summer. Monster Hunter World, meanwhile, has an ongoing special event named Spring Blossom Fest, which runs until May 16.
The upcoming movie about The Lord of the Rings author, called Tolkien, does not come with a stamp of approval from the Tolkien Estate. That is no big surprise, as the Estate has for decades distanced itself from dramatic adaptations of the fantasy series, including Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings series. Now, Tolkien director Dome Karukoski has spoken about why it's in the movie's best interest to have avoided any relationship with the Tolkien Estate to begin with.
Speaking at the Tolkien premiere in New York City, Karukoski the movie might have been "suffocated" had the producers worked alongside the Tolkien Estate. "Honestly, you try not to work with the Estate for reasons obvious," Karukoski said, as reported by Indie Wire. "Even if it would be out of kindness to ask the Estate, you start servicing them, they become your friends. You shouldn't mess with the Estate, so the film can exist purely for your own reasons and your own feelings about the characters."
Karukoski went on to say the the Tolkien movie producers did "very, very thorough research" to try to under Tolkien the man and the other key characters in the story, like Edith Bratt. The director said what viewers will see is that "the emotional truth of [the characters] is very true."
Had the Tolkien producers worked with the Estate, that might have led to situations where the film would obscure or ignore certain character traits--and that wouldn't be good, Karukoski said.
"To dig out the emotional truth of the characters, you have to try to not hide certain evidence and when you work with an Estate what happens is that that kind of gets suffocated," he said. "You're not allowed to do certain things so that the audience can feel an emotion from it."
In another interview, Karukoski told SkyNews, "Even if they were the kindest Estate ever, they would kind of become your friends and you start servicing them rather than the purity of the drama you need to make the best possible film."
Karukoski also confirmed that the producers invited the Estate to view the Tolkien movie before its premiere, but representatives reportedly declined. Karukoski said he is hopeful that members of the Estate see the movie someday.
The Tolkien Estate is led by J.R.R. Tolkien's son, the 94-year-old Christopher Tolkien. He told French newspaper Le Monde in 2012 that "the commercialisation [of Tolkien's work] has reduced the aesthetic and philosophical impact of the creation to nothing." In the same interview, Christopher Tolkien said of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, "They eviscerated the book by making it an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25."
Going further back, Tolkien himself was skeptical and hesitant about the commercialization of his work, and specifically the prospect of selling the Lord of the Rings movie rights to Disney in the '60s. He said he had a "heartfelt loathing" for Disney movies, and he said Walt Disney himself was "hopelessly corrupted" by profit-seeking.
Fox Searchlight, the production company behind Tolkien (which is now owned by Disney), said in a statement that it "has the utmost respect and admiration for Mr. Tolkien and his phenomenal contribution to literature."
Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men series) plays the adult Tolkien, while Lily Collins (To The Bone, Stuck In Love) plays Tolkien's wife, Edith Bratt.
Middle-earth Enterprises, which is the rights-owner of Tolkien's work separate from the Tolkien Estate, is by comparison more enthusiastic about commercial deals related to The Lord of the Rings than the Estate. Just this year, it announced a partnership with Daedalic Entertainment for a new Lord of the Rings game about Gollum. Additionally, Electronic Arts remains a Lord of the Rings licensee, as does WB Games and Lord of the Rings Online developer Standing Stone Games.
While the Tolkien Estate might not be involved with the Tolkien movie, the group does support some commercial endeavors. The Estate recently partnered with Amazon on the new Lord of the Rings TV show coming to the retailer's streaming service.
David Eddings, the original voice actor for Claptrap from the Borderlands series who isn't returning for Borderlands 3, has shared some new insight into the situation--and it is dramatic. After Randy Pitchford, the CEO of Borderlands developer Gearbox Software, called him "bitter and disgruntled," Eddings spoke up again today. He shared his side of the story, which includes a claim that Pitchford physically assaulted him in a hotel lobby at the Game Developers Conference in 2017.
"I was fine moving on after Gearbox," he said. "But when my former boss starts mouthing off about various aspects of my employment, including 'how highly compensated' I was and how 'generous' he is, I feel obligated to correct the record."
In the Twitter thread, Eddings said he had "mixed feelings" when Gearbox asked him in 2018 if he would come back to voice Claptrap for Borderlands 3. He said he was willing to "put differences aside and do something cool for Borderlands fans with my friends at Gearbox."
Eddings said he offered to do the Borderlands 3 voicework for "free" in exchange for Gearbox paying him past royalties for his work doing the voice of Claptrap in the previous Borderlands titles. As reported previously, Eddings did the voicework for Claptrap on Borderlands 1 and 2 when he was an employee at Gearbox, so he did not draw any additional payment.
Eddings also brought up a significant claim against Pitchford: that Pitchford assaulted him in 2017. Eddings said Pitchford "physically assaulted me" in a hotel lobby during GDC 2017. The alleged misconduct reportedly took place at the Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown San Francisco. The situation surrounding the alleged assault is unclear, and Eddings did not say if he filed a police report. Whatever the case, Eddings said he offered to do the voicework for Claptrap in Borderlands 3 if Gearbox gave him the requested backpay and an apology for the reported assault. It appears that didn't happen.
"Personally, I think Randy's been on the tilt the last few years. He's not the victim he portrays himself to be. I even blocked him a couple years ago for stalking me on social media. Enough is enough," Eddings said.
He went on to mention again the reported $12 million that Pitchford is alleged in a lawsuit to have received as a secret bonus paid to him instead of going to the Gearbox development team's bonus pool. Eddings said it was "conspicuous" that Pitchford would talk about Edding's salary but not mention the alleged $12 million payment that, in Eddings' words, Pitchford "siphoned away from the employee royalty pool." Eddings added, "Gearbox employees are asked to take lower salaries with the promise of royalty shares."
2K Games, the publisher of Borderlands 3, has not publicly commented on the lawsuit in question, which was filed by a former Gearbox lawyer at the tail end of 2018. 2K Games is owned by Take-Two Interactive, which handles the legal matters for its subsidiaries.
Here is Eddings' full Twitter thread on the subject:
I was fine moving on after Gearbox. But when my former boss starts mouthing off about various aspects of my employment including "how highly compensated" I was and how "generous" he is, I feel obligated to correct the record.
I had a lot of mixed feelings when asked to reprise the role of Claptrap late last year and eventually realized I was willing to put differences aside and do something cool for Borderlands fans with my friends at Gearbox.
I ultimately offered to do it for "free" in exchange for past royalties owed plus an apology for something I've never spoken about publicly until now: Randy physically assaulted me in the lobby of the Marriott Marquis at GDC 2017.
Personally, I think Randy's been on tilt the last few years. He's not the victim he portrays himself to be. I even blocked him a couple years ago for stalking me on social media. Enough is enough.
It's nice not feeling the need to spot any sleight of hand these days or wonder if the card was chosen or forced. I'm happy to be free from the half-truths and full-on deceptions. And thankful to no longer hear people referred to as "muggles" like a con-man refers to a "mark".
As an aside, seems a bit conspicuous that he chimed in on my salary but didn't mention anything about the $12M of revenue he siphoned away from the employee royalty pool. FYI - GBX employees are asked to take lower salaries with the promise of royalty shares.
2K says they won't give a statement regarding an ongoing lawsuit but if the allegation is false then it sure seems a lot easier to just deny it since that's the only reason they're mentioned. The whole thing stinks.
Eddings was a decade-plus executive veteran at Gearbox. According to Pitchford, Eddings was terminated, but the specifics surrounding his departure from Gearbox are unclear. Whatever the case, Eddings appears to be directing his misgivings solely at Pitchford. He says Gearbox is "full of amazingly talented game developers," adding that it's unfair to blame the developers "for the actions of one person."
Nah man -- Gearbox is full of amazingly talented game developers. It's not fair to blame the employees for the actions of one person. Be kind. They're the ones forced to cringe and bear it every time the boss shoots himself in the foot.
According to Pitchford, Eddings was paid "handsomely" during his time at Gearbox. And regarding the invitation to return as Claptrap in Borderlands 3, Pitchord said Gearbox offered him two times the standard union voice acting rate, which Eddings refused for the reasons mentioned above.
Pitchford has yet to respond to Eddings' comments today. GameSpot has contacted 2K Games in an attempt to get more details. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
The new J.R.R. Tolkien biopic, Tolkien, comes to theatres this week. The film stars Nicholas Hoult as Tolkien and Lily Collins as Edith Bratt in a story that covers the events of Tolkien's formative years, including his time at school and the fellowship of friends he found there, as well as his serving in World War I and his personal and romantic relationship with Bratt.
The movie covers Tolkien's major life events that inspired his acclaimed fantasy novels including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The movie also teaches us the correct way to pronounce Tolkien. Hint: it's "Tol-keen."
If you're looking for an action-oriented, grand spectacle film like The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, this is not it. Tolkien is a dramatic retelling of some of the key moments in Tolkien's early life as an author, friend, and partner to Bratt.
To help you get an idea about if the film is worth your time and money, we've collected review excerpts from around the internet. You can see a rundown of Tolkien review excerpts below, while more information on the film's critical reception can be found on GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
It is also worth mentioning that the Tolkien Estate has distanced itself from the Tolkien movie, though it reportedly issued its statement before viewing it. This was no surprise, as the Estate has for decades declined to endorse dramatizations of Tolkien's life and works.
Tolkien
Directed By: Dome Karukoski
Written By: David Gleeson, Stephen Beresford
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Colm Meaney, Craig Roberts, Patrick Gibson, Pam Ferris, Anthony Boyle, Tom Glynn-Carney
Release Date: May 10 (United States)
Runtime: 111 minutes
Entertainment Weekly
"Hoult brings a quiet, romantic intensity to the young Tolkien (pronounced 'Tolkeen,' who knew?), Lily Collins does a lot with a little as his first love Edith, and the Hobbit horde will gobble up all of the easter-egg references peppered throughout the movie. But Karukoski occasionally tries too hard to juice up his fustier Dead Poets Society-esquestretches with fevered battlefield visions of German flamethrowers transforming into fire-breathing dragons. Tolkien was never what anyone would call a subtle writer, but even he'd probably find those CGI flourishes a bit too much." -- Chris Nashawaty [Full review]
The Wrap
"... a biopic that hits so many familiar notes that it's practically a cover song. It's the ceaseless parade of foreshadowing, suggesting that every microscopic part of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novels was based on a specific, real-life event. It reduces everyone Tolkien knew to supporting players in someone else's shameless 'great man' narrative. If you were trying to produce a parody of what a Tolkien biopic would look like, you'd get the exact same film." -- William Bibbiani [Full review]
The Hollywood Reporter
"Handsomely made in the customarily fastidious style of most period biographical dramas, Tolkien is strongly served by Hoult, who, after four X-Men outings (and a supporting role in last year's The Favourite), demonstrates that it's high time he moved on from that sort of thing to more interesting and challenging dramatic characterizations." -- Todd McCarthy [Full review]
Hoult as Tolkien
Variety
"The film--stately, well-acted, and ultimately insubstantial--dilutes its considerable charms with hoary literary biopic conventions, and then risks strangling them entirely with its reductively literal takes on the vagaries of artistic inspiration." -- Andrew Barker [Full review]
The Washington Post
"The movie is a capable and attractive enough biopic, if also less than riveting cinema." -- Michael O'Sullivan [Full review]
The Guardian
"This refreshing origins story, starring Nicholas Hoult, traces the early life of JRR Tolkien as he makes friends at Oxford, finds love and faces the horror of war." -- Peter Bradshaw [Full review]
Even if you're only casually aware of the DC Universe, either through the comics, the TV shows, or the movies, there's a pretty good chance you've come across some sort of shadowy top secret organization at some point or another. Some of them are all about that dubiously ethical paramilitary science--think Supergirl's ARGUS or Young Justice's Cadmus. Others are fixated on murder, like the League of Assassins or Kobra. Some don't fit in one niche or the other, like Checkmate or Spyral.
The point is: The DC Universe is filled to bursting with clandestine secret societies, and depending where you land in terms of your comic book consumption, they can get pretty confusing--even redundant--if you try and keep track of them all.
But not for long.
The legendary creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev are teaming up for the first time in the mainline DC Universe for a brand new event series called Event Leviathan, and it's going to shake the secret societies of the DCU to their very core--but maybe not in the way you expect. Far from the macro-cosmic Crisis-level events DC is known for, Event Leviathan is going to be, in Bendis's words, "more like [Agatha Christie's mystery novel] And Then There Were None."
At DC's offices in Burbank, the writer sat down with journalists to talk about the new project, Maleev's iconic artwork, and the potential repercussions for the DCU at large.
Bendis described the tone of the six-issue mini series as the opposite of a "disaster movie," focusing entirely on a group of DC's finest detectives, who, Bendis assures, will "solve a case every issue." So don't worry about too much wheel-spinning or time-wasting. These are characters on very specific missions.
The larger case--the inciting event that brings them all together--might be a little bit harder to crack, however. The setup, which can be found interwoven through both the ongoing Superman and Action Comics titles, revolves around the mysterious "Leviathan," a masked supervillain of unknown identity and origin who is making "pitches" to various heroes around the DC Universe to try and bring them over to their side. Leviathan's identity is a complete mystery--but it won't be forever.
"[By the end of the story] Leviathan will have risen and what it is and what they've done will have landed," Bendis said. "And so there are a lot of pieces that are going to shift and a lot of heroes are going to have a kind of a new purpose--like a new motivation, because the enemy will have revealed itself. He's not selling villainy and he's not selling antagonism. There's heroes and there's villains and then there's this other thing right now. And that other thing isn't playing by the rules dictated by the rules of the genre. That's going to mess up a lot of people's heads."
Even Leviathan's design was meant to evoke a specific reaction--both from readers and from the characters themselves.
"This is a character who's dealing with a icons in psychology and with imagery, specifically. This is a character who is very aware of [pop culture characters like] Darth Vader and very aware of what images do for people and how they respond to them," Bendis elaborated. "That [mask], it looks scary to some people and it looks not scary to other people. They designed it that way. There's a psychology behind it, but, OK. There's gonna be a lot of stuff in this that is going to reflect a more modern sensibility than you may have seen in [classic espionage and spy stories of] the past, where people are wearing the white carnation or sliding an envelope across the table."
Bendis went on to tease some of the key players in the upcoming event, specifically highlighting the starring role of Lois Lane, who Bendis calls "the most dangerous woman in the DC Universe," thanks to her unfiltered access to the Daily Planet's publishing platform and ability to literally control the flow of information. Alongside Lois will be some of DC's most brilliant detectives--Batman, Plastic Man, The Question, and so on--all working to crack the case: Who is Leviathan, what do they want, and most importantly, how can it be stopped?
Event Leviathan #1 (of 6) hits shelves June 12 everywhere comics are sold.
Dante is coming to Nintendo Switch. Capcom has announced that the very first Devil May Cry is coming to the platform sometime this summer. The announcement didn't give word on whether this will be a straight port of the PS2 original or based on the more recent HD Collection.
While the announcement was short on details, though, the implications are huge. Devil May Cry has never been on a Nintendo platform before in any capacity. Series head Hideaki Itsuno pointedly said in an interview in February that for Dante to appear as a guest character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he'd sensibly have to appear in a game on the platform first.
"Devil May Cry has never been on a Nintendo platform," Itsuno told VG247. "So it seems like the first thing to do would be to get Capcom to put Devil May Cry on a Nintendo platform in some way, shape or form--whatever game that might be."
This would appear to fulfill that criteria, and Itsuno would have likely known about any pending Smash Bros. guest spots at the time he made that comment. Dante may not be destined for Smash at all, but this at least raises the possibility.
The first and so-far only announced guest DLC character is Joker from the Persona series, who went live with an update in April. Meanwhile Dante has continued making devils cry with further adventures and a growing cadre of allies, most recently with the altogether excellent sequel Devil May Cry 5.
A new Minecraft game is in the works, it appears, and it might not be what you expect. The company today posted a teaser video for what looks like a Minecraft augmented reality game.
The brief teaser video shows some kind of Minecraft AR game similar to Pokemon Go or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite with its blending of real and virtual world elements. Whatever it is, it looks like it'll be announced on the Minecraft website on May 17. Check out the teaser below, and yes, the man (who looks strikingly like Xbox pioneer J. Allard) does not appear to give the woman back her phone. We don't know why.
At E3 2015, Microsoft showcased a stunning Minecraft experience for the company's AR HoloLens headset. But given that the new teaser video doesn't show anyone wearing an AR headset, it looks like the Minecraft AR game could be more akin to the aforementioned Niantic games in its headset-free blending of the real and digital worlds.
According to noted Microsoft insider Brad Sams, who has accurately reported on unannounced Microsoft stories before, the Minecraft AR game is code-named "Genoa."
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told The New York Times in 2015 that one of the reasons Microsoft spent $2.5 billion to acquire Minecraft and developer Mojang was due to the potential benefits of marrying Minecraft and augmented reality. "Let's have a game that, in fact, will fundamentally help us change new categories," Nadella said. "HoloLens was very much in the works [when Microsoft announced the deal in 2015], and we knew it."
The May 17 reveal date for the new Minecraft AR game is not random. It presumably aligns with the Minecraft 10-year anniversary celebration scheduled for the same day. Minecraft's creator, Markus "Notch" Persson, is being excluded from the event over his "comments and opinions."
The official Minecraft Twitter account cheekily reacted to the Minecraft AR news today with the thinking face emoji.
In addition to the rumored new Minecraft AR game, Microsoft is working on a Minecraft dungeon-crawler called Minecraft Dungeons. The title, which doesn't have a release date, appears to take a more linear approach rather than the open-ended sandbox nature of the mainline game.
The filmmakers behind Avengers: Endgame wound up putting themselves into a pretty tight narrative corner with the conclusion of the movie's predecessor, Avengers: Infinity War. After all, in Infinity War, the bad guy won--the Mad Titan Thanos nabbed all the Infinity Stones together used them to erase half the life in the universe from existence, including half of the beloved heroes of the MCU (some of whom still had movies on the schedule). Everyone assumed the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would try to undo Thanos's actions. The question was, how could they manage it?
The answer, as we now know, is time travel. But time travel is confusing in movies (not to mention theoretical physics) on the best of days, when you're not dealing with space magic that can rewrite the rules of reality on top of it. It's so confusing, in fact, that it seems like the directors and writers of Infinity War and Endgame have differing (and mutually exclusive) ideas of how it works. (For our take on understanding what's up in the film, check out this Endgame time travel breakdown boogaloo.)
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, directors Joe and Anthony Russo described time travel in Endgame as creating alternate timelines--essentially, every time the characters return to the past, the changes they make to the past create new, complete universes with new events, with the original universe staying intact and unaltered. That's how the Avengers can go back to, say, the Battle of New York and accidentally release Loki. It creates a new timeline where Loki didn't go back to Asgard, as he did in the original MCU timeline (depicted in Thor: The Dark World). The timeline were Loki is loose with the Tesseract in 2012 is its own separate universe, and the Avengers are able to travel between them somehow. This roughly matches up with how Bruce Banner explains time travel within the movie itself, so that's good so far.
The Russos use that model of time travel to explain Captain America's ending, one of the more confusing and controversial events of the movie. At the end of the film, Cap goes back in time to return the Infinity Stones to where the Avengers found them, but he stays in the past to spend his life with Peggy Carter, the woman Cap has said was the love of his life.
The time machine seen in the movie is less about getting people to the past, it seems, and more about helping them find their way back to their original universe, the one we've been watching in the MCU all along. But that raises the question: If Cap was in another timeline, how did he get back to the original timeline to give Sam Wilson his shield at the end of the film? The Russos covered that question in their EW interview, without giving a definitive answer:
"If Cap were to go back into the past and live there, he would create a branched reality. The question then becomes, how is he back in this reality to give the shield away?" Joe Russo asked with a smile. "Interesting question, right? Maybe there's a story there. There's a lot of layers built into this movie and we spent three years thinking through it, so it's fun to talk about it and hopefully fill in holes for people so they understand what we're thinking."
We also know that Peggy was married and had kids while Steve was supposed to be frozen in a glacier, so wouldn't Cap's presence in her life fundamentally change those events?
The Russos agree that that's true--but the Peggy Cap ends up with is in another timeline, which is how you get around the ethical questions that fans have raised about Cap wrecking Peggy's family for the sake of his own happiness.
"If you went back to that timeline, between the point where Steve went into the ice [in Captain America: The First Avenger] yet before Peggy met her husband, Peggy was available," Anthony Russo said in yet another interview, this time with The Hollywood Reporter. As for Peggy's family, "They exist in a different timeline," the directors said. So Cap didn't erase her family in the original timeline, just the new one, which is maybe better, because they technically still exist somewhere?
Anyway, the way the Russos explain time travel is the way we interpreted it in Endgame as well (and really, it's the only way it makes sense). But Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus, the movie's writers, have a totally different take. The pair gave an interview to Fandango, in which they explained the movie's time travel as being completely different. Instead of a lot of new timelines and alternate realities created by each of the changes the Avengers make when they travel through time, the writers said that only removing the Infinity Stones creates branches--which is similar (and similarly confusing) to what the Ancient One told Bruce Banner during the movie.
"We are not experts on time travel, but the Ancient One specifically states that when you take an Infinity Stone out of a timeline it creates a new timeline. So Steve going back and just being there would not create a new timeline," Markus said. "So I reject the 'Steve is in an alternate reality' theory. I do believe that there is simply a period in world history from about '48 to now where there are two Steve Rogers. And anyway, for a large chunk of that one of them is frozen in ice. So it's not like they'd be running into each other."
So Markus and McFeely say that Cap could just be in the past, living his life, and that his presence would not change the timeline--and therefore, he could just show up in 2023 to give the shield to Sam. That doesn't seem to account for issues like Loki escaping with the Tesseract or Cap pretending to be a HYDRA agent, but it seems like the movie attempts to explain that with the conversation with the Ancient One: essentially, the Infinity Stones are magic, and since they create "the flow of time," it's impossible for alterations to mess up the timeline. Or something.
Lost? Yeah, us too. Maybe the overall point is that time travel is a beast for even talented Hollywood writers and directors to tackle, and trying to add it to something as huge and unwieldy as the MCU was even tougher. But while time travel might add an element of logical weirdness to Endgame, it seems like the greater MCU going forward will have something different to contend with, from what we saw in the latest trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home. That's the idea of multiple parallel universes, something that's straight out of Marvel Comics (not to mention last year's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse). Here's hoping it doesn't get too confounding.
If you didn't know much about the long-running pop culture phenomenon known as Pokemon, it would be easy to assume that the blockbuster Japanese franchise is mainly for kids. But ask any of the now-adults who have been fans of Pokemon since the series' debut on the Game Boy in the late '90s, and you'll find out that there are Pokemon fans who are young, old, and everything in between. And Detective Pikachu, the first ever live-action Pokemon movie, was made with all of them in mind.
Detective Pikachu director Rob Letterman has made plenty of films that you would most likely categorize as kids' movies, from Shark Tale to Goosebumps. But as he told GameSpot, his approach to making any movie is simply to try and tell a good story, without any particular audience demographic in mind.
"I grew up with the movies in the '80s that people say are family films, but they're not really," the director said. "Like Back to the Future, E.T.--when I was growing up, those were just movies, and the filmmakers didn't target them for kids at all. They were just doing great stories and great characters. That was my childhood, loving that style of filmmaking, so that's my approach."
"I have kids. I'm a parent," he said. "I go to movies with my kids, so I know what it's like."
Letterman's kids have been into Pokemon cards and games for much longer than he's been working on this movie, but the director himself missed the craze by a generation or so. The same isn't true of Detective Pikachu star Justice Smith, who was into Pokemon as a kid just like so many fans were.
"I grew up with Pokemon," Smith, who was born in 1995, told GameSpot. "I had all the original cards. I played Pokemon Gold growing up--that's the first game I got for Game Boy Color. I had Pokemon Crystal. I had a lot of Pokemon games. I watched the anime.
"I have Pokemon Go on my phone right now," he laughed.
Smith plays Tim Goodman, who teams up with his father's former Pokemon partner, the titular sleuthing Pikachu, after Harry Goodman is killed in a car crash. It's a dark premise that kicks the movie off on the right foot--Tim and Pikachu work to unravel the mystery of Harry's death while navigating the perils of Ryme City, a gritty environment where Pokemon and people live together side-by-side.
Smith agreed with Letterman: Their approach was to simply tell a good story, and they focused on getting the humor right, not to mention the inherent "magic" of creating realistic-looking CG Pokemon in a live-action world.
"I think that the people who are going to go see this movie are people my age, who grew up with Pokemon, who had that nostalgia factor, who always wanted to see a live-action Pokemon film," the actor said. "And then everyone else is like, 'No, kids are going to go see this movie.' I'm like, 'Oh, are they?' But I think it's cool that this franchise just spans multiple generations. It bonds people regardless of age."
The filmmakers also tried to fit in plenty of references to the original games and anime so that longtime fans would feel at home.
"I really wanted to connect it to the overall Pokemon universe," Letterman said. "There's a lot of references to [Pokemon: The First Movie] because that was the first Pokemon movie I watched with my kids, so that one was important to me, and Mewtwo plays a big role in this film...There's a lot of subtle hints in there that connect us to the rest of the universe--there's mention of the Kanto region, there's posters in Tim's bedroom in the background that true hardcore fans will start to read into and see how it all ties in."
Smith was hesitant to say too much before the film's release.
"There's a lot of things that I really liked that we paid homage to from the anime that I don't really want to say, because I don't want to spoil anything," the actor hinted--although he did point out that much like the original anime's Ash and Misty, Tim and Lucy (Smith's co-star, Kathryn Newton) have a Pikachu and a Psyduck. In addition, Smith pointed out that Lucy wears the red hoodie worn by Tim in the Detective Pikachu game. "There's just Easter eggs all throughout the film--from the games, from the anime--that I think fans will enjoy--especially hardcore fans."
"The idea is to make a movie for an audience of all ages," Letterman explained. "That's always been my approach. And, I also forget about that and just try to tell a story with character and human emotion in it."
"I can't tell you if that's the best way to do things, but it's the only way I can get into it," the director continued.
The first trailer for It: Chapter Two, the sequel to the well-received 2017 Stephen King horror movie, is coming very soon. A billboard spotted in Times Square reveals the first trailer is coming on Thursday.
That's all there is to go on at this stage, so right now it's not clear what time in the day the trailer will arrive. The billboard does, however, contain what appears to be the movie's tagline: "Witness the end of It." Keep checking back with GameSpot; we'll post the trailer as soon as it arrives.
Chapter Two picks up 27 years after the events of the first movie. The kids are now adults, and Pennywise the Clown is back to terrorise them once more.
The cast is full of big names. James McAvoy plays Bill and Jessica Chastain portrays Beverly, while Bill Hader stars as Richie, Jay Ryan as Ben, James Ransone as Eddie, Andy Bean as Stanley, and Isaiah Mustafa as Mike. Bill Skarsgard returns to play Pennywise. The children who played the child characters from the original movie will return as well in flashback scenes.
Andy Muschietti, who directed the original, is back as well for the sequel. It: Chapter Two hits theatres on September 6.
For one day only, fans of the John Wick movie franchise will have the opportunity to set foot in the world of The Continental--the hotel for assassins--before the theatrical release of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. The Continental Experience runs in New York City on Friday, May 10, from 10 AM until 4 PM. To get access, though, you're going to be put to the test.
To gain admission to The Continental Experience, you'll need one of two things: a secret code or a special prop gold coin from the movie. To obtain a code, simply use the CURB app to hail taxis in NYC this week. A select number of users will win a code to obtain a reservation.
Getting a coin is a bit trickier, though. There are a limited number of the coins and they've been hidden around NYC at various filming locations--specifically Chinatown or Central Park. If you want some hints, we've been provided with the drop locations.
Chinatown coin drops:
Corner of Hester and Centre St.
Corner of Hester and Baxter St.
By the Dragon Statue on the corner of Canal and Baxter St.
Corner of Canal and Mulberry St.
Canal St. between Centre St. and Lafayette St.
Central Park coin drops:
Benches along 5th Avenue leading to 64th St. entrance to the park
Bench in front of Central Park zoo gift shop
Benches right inside the east 67th St. entrance
In the gazebo near 69th St.
Along the pond across from Kerbs Boathouse
Near the Le Pain Quotidien on the east side of the park by 75th St.
Along the south side of the Jackie Onassis reservoir
Each of the Chinatown drops will feature 1-2 coins, while Central Park locations will each have 2-3. However, there's no way to find out if the coins have been claimed without tracking them down, so happy hunting!
As for what you'll get to do at The Continental Experience, much like the life of John Wick (Keanu Reeves), that's a bit of a mystery. What we know is that the event will be based out of the building used to shoot Continental Hotel scenes, One Hanson Place in Brooklyn, NY. According to an official description, the experience will include activations tied to all three movies, Continental Hotel staff and characters for you to interact with, prizes, and the potential chance to meet cast members from the movie.
Whatever this event ends up being, it definitely sounds like a unique experience--and one that will get you ready of the third installment of the John Wick franchise. For more information, check out the Continental Experience website.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is in theaters on May 17.
Following their unexpected appearance in the wild last week, Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie have made their way into Raid Battles in Pokemon Go. The Legendary Gen 4 Pokemon will be appearing in Gyms from now until May 27, but which one you'll be able to catch will depend on where you live.
Just as when they first appeared in the wild, each of the three Legendary Pokemon is currently exclusive to a specific region. Azelf is appearing throughout the Americas and Greenland; Mesprit is available across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East; and Uxie is only spawning in the Asia-Pacific region.
Each of the Legendary Pokemon will appear in their respective parts of the world until May 27. It's unclear if Niantic plans to rotate them after that point, as it has done in the past with other region-exclusive Pokemon. However, the developer teases that players will have a chance of coming across the Legendaries in the wild in their regions even after their Raid event ends--although you'll need to be "extraordinarily lucky" in Niantic's words, suggesting the odds of finding one will be incredibly low.
Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie were first introduced in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl for the DS. Together the Pokemon are collectively known as the lake trio, so named due to the fact that each one guards a different lake in the Sinnoh region. All three of the Pokemon are pure Psychic-types, which makes them vulnerable to Dark, Bug, and Ghost Pokemon like Tyranitar, Gengar, and Scizor.
In other Pokemon Go news, Niantic is kicking off a Detective Pikachu event in the game this week to celebrate the live-action movie's theatrical release. From May 7-17, Pokemon that are featured in the film, such as Bulbasaur, Jigglypuff, and Snubble, will appear in the wild and in Raid Battles. You'll also have a chance of finding a Shiny Aipom and a special Pikachu wearing a detective's hat.
Shortly after the Detective Pikachu event ends, Niantic will host Pokemon Go's next Community Day. That event is set for Sunday, May 19, and will star the Gen 3 starter Torchic as its featured Pokemon.
GameSpot reviews come in all shapes and sizes. There are the standard game reviews you're used to seeing; there are reviews in progress; there are updated reviews of ongoing games; and now, there are scored reviews of other kinds of entertainment, like movies and TV.
All that sounds complicated, but it's really quite simple. While our approach to reviews can and will grow and change over time, the purpose of any GameSpot review remains the same: to provide a well-argued, honest, and thorough opinion about a game, movie, or TV show. But what's an "updated" review, exactly? And what do those numbers mean? This guide is here to help.
GameSpot Review Scale
Reviews don't boil down to just "I like it" or "I don't like it." GameSpot reviewers--which includes editors, video producers, and talented freelancers who fill in the gaps--are dedicated to thoughtful, robust criticism that takes a number of factors into account. The score is a point of reference, but if you want to really understand whether a game (or movie or TV show) is for you or not, you'll find what you need in the content of the review itself.
GameSpot uses a 10-point review scale with no increments--so there are no .5s. Here's a quick breakdown of what our scores represent:
10 - Essential
9 - Superb
8 - Great
7 - Good
6 - Fair
5 - Mediocre
4 - Poor
3 - Bad
2 - Terrible
1 - Abysmal
Reviews In Progress and Early Review Impressions
If you've been on GameSpot in the last few years, you've likely seen a review in progress or two before. Game reviews are published "in progress" if we've played a significant amount of the game but haven't been able to see some aspect of it fully--in many cases, it's the online component, which we of course can't experience properly until after the game has officially released. This way, you can get a good idea of what the game is like and what we think of it around the time of launch, keeping in mind that a few aspects might still be question marks.
You'll know it's a review in progress because of the headline, but just in case you miss that, the score is also blue instead of orange. We also make sure to include in the text of the review what we still have left to do before we can finalize the review--and keep in mind that details, including the score, are subject to change before we flip the switch.
In rare cases, we won't have access to a game until right before or even at launch. In these situations (which mostly consist of online-only games), we may publish "early review impressions" based on our first day or so with the game. These early impressions are unscored and a little less formal, and you'll know exactly what we've done and what we still have to do before we're comfortable moving on to the review in progress or even the final review.
Updated Reviews
We've been saying a lot about "finalizing" reviews, but in reality, a lot of games are not final at launch or even two weeks after launch, once servers are stable and bugs are patched out. More and more games change over months and even years, and so while a final GameSpot review is mostly final, there are some cases where we will want to revisit a game down the line and then write a new, updated review to reflect the times.
In these cases, a game will have to have changed significantly from the version we critiqued in our original review. But not every game that has changed gets this treatment--there are only so many hours in a day and so many GameSpot reviewers, so the decision to write a new review of a game comes down to the interests of both our staff and our readers. We use our best judgment based on our own experiences with a game and what people in general are playing, plus what needs fresh criticism as opposed to news about live events and updates.
Finally, an updated review is not a chance to "undo" a previous score or opinion. The original review still lives on GameSpot, and you'll be able to read both to get a picture of where the game was and what it is now.
If you have any questions about game reviews on GameSpot, feel free to contact reviews editor Kallie Plagge or editor-in-chief Randolph Ramsay. For questions about TV and movie reviews, reach out to senior entertainment editor Mike Rougeau.
With less than a month to go before Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland, the excitement for the new section of the park is at an all-time high. The Walt Disney Company knows that and used this year's Star Wars Day (May 4) to its advantage with the release of a new theme song for the theme park land.
The new song, "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite," is written by composer John Williams, the man behind the scores of Episodes 1-8 of the Star Wars saga. At this point, it's unclear how the song will be incorporated into the land. However, given Disney's penchant for having theme music play throughout its parks, chances are the "Symphonic Suite" will be heard by visitors as they wander around Batuu, the planet Galaxy's Edge is set on.
According to StarWars.com, the new track will "will complement the immersive world" that the land is set in, further bringing visitors into the Star Wars universe. That world will include themed food and drinks, a variety of interactive experiences, and--upon the grand opening--a new ride that lets guests pilot the Millennium Falcon on a mission.
There's more in store for Galaxy's Edge, though, as a secondary ride--Rise of the Resistance--will open later this year. A press release calls it "the most ambitious, immersive, and advanced attraction ever imagined, which will place guests in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance and will blur the lines between fantasy and reality."
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland on May 31. The land then comes to Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom on August 29. If you love theme parks but Star Wars isn't your thing, don't worry. There's also a new Harry Potter roller coaster coming to Universal Studios and the Hagrid animatronic is a little too real.
Though Avengers: Endgame may be jam packed with Easter Eggs and references, and feature not one, not two, but three whole endings over the course of its three hour runtime, it turns out there were still scenes that wound up on the cutting room floor.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that they cut the role of Katherine Langford (Love, Simon, 13 Reasons Why) from the finished film while simultaneously confirming she had been cast to play an older version of Morgan Stark, Tony's five-year-old daughter.
The scene, the Russos explained, was supposed to mirror the moment back in Infinity War where Thanos was confronted by baby Gamora after he first snapped his fingers. The directors called the place where this scene took place a "metaphysical waystation," rather than the Soul World like some fans had theorized the space to represent. Apparently, Langford and Robert Downey Jr. recorded a scene together in which an adult Morgan Stark forgives her father for leaving her behind as he sacrifices him with with the Infinity Stones. However, after being shown to test audiences, who found the moment confusing, the scene was cut entirely.
"What we realized about it was we didn't feel an emotional association with the adult version of his daughter. It wasn't resonating with us on an emotional level, which is why we moved away [from] it," The Russos said. "The intention was that his future daughter forgave him, and gave him peace to go. And the idea felt resonant, but there were just too many ideas in an overly complicated movie."
Avengers: Endgame stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, Karen Gillan, and Josh Brolin. It is is rapidly closing in on the record currently held by James' Cameron's Avatar as the highest grossing movie of all time.
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