The appearance of the next game from Ninja Theory, Bleeding Edge, was something of a surprise during Microsoft's press conference at E3 2019. It's a competitive game in the vein of something like Overwatch or Apex Legends, pitting teams of four players against each other as they try to capture objectives while wailing on each other. That's pretty far removed from the studio's past games--third-person narrative action titles such as Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and DmC: Devil May Cry.
Bleeding Edge is looking to marry online competitive games with the kind of combat experiences you might expect from Ninja Theory. It's principally a sort of competitive brawler--the majority of the characters specialize in melee combat. Think Overwatch, but fewer guns and more combos.
That's the kind of game creative director Rahni Tucker wanted to play, so that's the one she and her team made, she told GameSpot at E3.
"For me, combat is my interest, that's what I love to make," Tucker said. "At home, I play competitive team multiplayer games. So, it just seemed like a natural synergy. Like, an 'Ah!' moment. I was like, 'Where's third-person action combat meets competitive team multiplayer? I feel like this game doesn't exist and I would play it, so why don't we make that? It's just the game that I love basically, my passion project."
Close-Range Combat
In Bleeding Edge, most characters are melee fighters, although there are different roles among the cast. Some are support class fighters with ranged attacks, meant to stay out of the fray to heal or buff teammates, while others are tank-like and designed to get in close and wreck people. All 10 characters have a variety of abilities, which we tried out in a match we played at the Microsoft Showcase. Melee DPS fighter Daemon, for instance, carries a samurai sword, can briefly turn himself invisible, and uses a dash move to close gaps and land quick hits. The witchy Maeve can cage opponents in place and siphon life from them, while saw-wielding tank Buttercup has a Roadhog-style chain move that can pull enemies to her. All those abilities have cooldown timers, and every character also has an ultimate move that charges up over time; Daemon's ultimate turned him into a fast-slashing killing machine against anyone who stumbled into a certain radius around him. Each character has two ultimates for you to pick from at the start of a match.
I was like, 'Where's third-person action combat meets competitive team multiplayer?'"
The round we played took place on an industrial map with a train track running through the center--and happening to cross over its three control points. Capturing those spots earns your team points (as does landing kills), but the trains that occasionally run through the map are a hazard to be either avoided or used against the other team. The map also had jump pads that made it possible to reach higher levels, adding some verticality, and health drops scattered around that were key to keeping alive.
It's all the sort of thing you'd expect from other character-based competitive games. Bleeding Edge stands out with its combat, though; it all feels much more MOBA-like as two teams converge and start wailing away at each other. As soon as you get into a fight, the action-adventure pedigree of the Ninja Theory team asserts itself. Hitting an enemy with a series of melee strikes can stun them, and linking regular attacks with your special abilities can extend a combo and let you hammer away opponents. You've also got a dodge move that helps you break free of a combo executed by someone else, but it has limited charges, requiring you to think about how best to use your moves to control the fight and avoid getting locked down.
"The main thing, I think, is the design sensibilities that go into making the combat feel right because the game, to play, is very different, as you know," Tucker said. "Single-player hack-and-slash games, you can run in versus 50 guys and own them all in the face, and do a 50-hit combo where they don't get to do anything. But playing against that is not very fun. [Bleeding Edge] is definitely a team game and that was a big thing that I wanted it to be, because I like playing support and you can't play support if it's not a team game. That was important to me as well. I think that's one of the things people struggle a little bit when they see third-person action, is they go, 'Oh, cool, I'm just gonna run in and kill everything!' And it's like, well, yeah, but so are they. You can't run in versus four people and just kill everything because they're as powerful as you are.
"The thing that I'm bringing, I think, from DmC into this is the design sensibility. So making the combat feel good, making the hits feel like they're connecting, the animation slick, it feels right in your hand, got good response control."
It might not feel exactly like DmC, but Bleeding Edge does capture that responsive, strategic feeling of fighting--while amping it up with the frantic unpredictability inherent in taking on other players.
Modding Your Heroes
Bleeding Edge also separates itself in the ways you can customize your characters. The premise of the title, as Tucker explained, is a friendly competition between cyborgs set some 50 or so years in the future. The characters are all at the "bleeding edge" of cybernetic body modification, using technology to do all sorts of weird things to themselves, and beating and blowing each other up are how they try out their latest enhancements.
Customization is part of the underlying premise, so in addition to picking different characters with a variety of abilities (and switching between them mid-match to adjust your strategy), you can also unlock "mods" to install on your characters, which change the way their abilities work. Each character gets three mod slots, and you can unlock more character-specific mods over time as you play (there are about 20 for each), which allow to you build different loadouts of each character that fit your playstyle and the strategies of a match.
The thing that I'm bringing, I think, from DmC into this is the design sensibility."
"Using Daemon as an example, his default mod set is base attack/damage, a bit of extra health and more range for his shooting but if you wanted to you could go fully into, say, stealth and you can have a mod that makes stealth last forever, you have a mod that makes him move faster under stealth and there's a mod, say, that does extra damage coming out of stealth. You can equip those three into a build and call it the Stealth Build, and then if you're playing on a team where you don't really need to care about survivability and you just want to get around the back and kill [support character] Zero Cool time and time again, then you might take that build."
It all sounds like a potent recipe for a competitive game, and Bleeding Edge created some fun, chaotic moments as all eight players wailed on each other in an attempt to take control points in our match. It's tough to gauge after just one battle, of course, but there's a depth to Bleeding Edge's melee combat that should entice fans of MOBAs and other competitive games, with a bright, easygoing art style and accessibility that make it easy to pick up. The question is whether Bleeding Edge can make a dent in a crowded competitive game market--but at the very least, it has the potential to scratch a combat itch no other games of this type are addressing.
Though there's no price point or release date for Bleeding Edge yet, Tucker said Ninja Theory intends to support the game after launch with additional characters (there are 10 at launch and Ninja Theory is already teasing two more) and maps (beyond the three that'll be available at release). Tucker also said she wants to work on a more robust spectator mode for the game as well. Microsoft and Ninja Theory are also running a technical alpha on June 27, which you can sign up for on the Bleeding Edge website.
While most mainline Pokemon games to date have allowed you to carry your monsters over from previous titles, we learned at E3 2019 that the upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield for Switch will be bucking this trend. During a Treehouse Live segment, producer Junichi Masuda revealed that players can't transfer every old Pokemon to the games--only those that already appear in the Galar Pokedex. And it seems Sword and Shield may not be the last Pokemon titles with this restriction.
In an interview with Famitsu (via Eurogamer), Masuda reiterates that the reason behind this controversial limitation is due to the amount of time it would take to balance every Pokemon and improve them visually thanks to the sheer size of the series' Pokedex, which now encompasses more than 1,000 Pokemon including alternate forms. "As a result, it has become extremely difficult to make Pokemon with a new personality play an active part and to balance their compatibility," Masuda said. "That is the reason for this decision, and we have decided that it is difficult to make all Pokemon appear in future works."
Masuda's response suggests that future Pokemon games may likewise not include every monster in the series, although it doesn't necessarily rule out the possibility that more could be added in to the titles down the line. Famitsu asked if that would be the case with Sword and Shield, but Masuda said that was still "undecided" at this point.
To transfer previous monsters over to Sword and Shield, you'll first need to bring them over to Pokemon Home, a new Pokemon Bank-like cloud service launching for Nintendo Switch and smartphones in early 2020. Pokemon Home allows you to store any monster from Pokemon Bank on 3DS, as well as Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, Sword and Shield, and Pokemon Go, then bring those into Sword and Shield (provided they're in the Galar Pokedex). Unlike Pokemon Bank, you can also trade Pokemon with other players directly from Pokemon Home. The Pokemon Company hasn't shared any pricing details for the service yet, but Pokemon Bank requires players to have a subscription, which cost $5 per year.
Pokemon Sword and Shield launch for Switch on November 15. Nintendo revealed a ton of new details about the games during a special Pokemon Direct ahead of E3. Among other things, we learned about the games' new Dynamax battle mechanic, which allows Pokemon to temporarily grow into the size of a building during battle. We also got a look at the open-world Wild Area that stretches between towns in the Galar region, as well as the multiplayer Max Raid Battles. You can read more about the games in our Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order guide.
Overwatch is kicking off another limited-time event, this time centering around the latest addition to the roster, Baptiste. You can earn some special cosmetics including a new Epic skin for Baptiste, and the event goes hand-in-hand with a short story featuring the character.
From June 18 through July 1, notch wins in Quick Play, Competitive, or Arcade to win the new cosmetic items. Three wins will grant you a player icon, six will give you two new sprays, and nine will give you the Battle Medic Baptiste skin. You can also earn extra sprays by watching up to six hours of participating Overwatch streamers on Twitch.
The update kicking off the Baptiste event also introduces the new Replays feature. This will let you watch previous matches with flexible controls over aspects like camera and playback speed. You can check out the official site for more info including keyboard shortcuts.
As June gives way to July, the spring anime season transitions into summer. Once again, we're compiling a full list of every series and movie that's making its debut this season--specifically in US theaters or on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hidive, Prime Video, Netflix, or Hulu. Below, we've listed every new show that's currently been announced for this summer and outlined where you can watch them. We'll continue to update said list as more titles get revealed.
To keep things manageable, we're not including anime that are continuing their season from spring, such as Fruits Basket and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Which isn't to say you should stop watching those anime--we didn't include series like those two on our best anime of Spring 2019 guide for no reason. But they've had their moment. This article is designed to highlight what's new.
Summer usually sees a rather bizarre assortment of genres and storylines when it comes to anime, as a realization sets in that a lot of viewers aren't staying indoors and watching a bunch of new shows. They're out and about on vacation (or attending some of the dozens of anime conventions that occur every summer), making it more difficult to stay on top of multiple series. To gain popularity in the summer, a show needs to stand out. As a result, you usually get some very experimental (but very fun) stuff between July and September. This year looks to be no different. We're waiting for a few more shows to be officially announced before publishing our recommendations, so stay tuned for our in-depth thoughts.
Four high school girls find themselves stranded on a deserted island and, save for one who's been lost in a hopeless situation like this before, none of them know standard survival skills. Whether it's scavenging for food or battling sharks, they'll have to learn as they go.
Dr. Stone -- Crunchyroll, Funimation
3000 years after every person is turned to stone, best friends Taiju and Senku finally free themselves and use science to free the physically fit Tsukasa and kindhearted Yuzuriha. Though Tsukasa does initially protect the others, he ultimately reveals he wants to abuse this opportunity to smash and kill all adults. As more people are freed, a Lord of the Flies rivalry develops between the Kingdom of Science and Empire of Might.
Fire Force -- Crunchyroll, Funimation
From the mind that brought you Soul Eater, Fire Force follows a young man who can ignite his feet. He joins a unique fire fighting unit that specializes in killing people who are dangerously close to spontaneously combusting.
Kengan Ashura -- Netflix
Tokita "Ashura" Ohma is a gladiator in an underground tournament ring overseen by the wealthy Japanese elite. His sheer will and overwhelming strength capture the attention of one very ambitious CEO, and Ashura's life is never the same.
Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya -- Netflix
A new anime adaption of the 1980s manga premieres this summer, retelling the origin of Seiya and his fellow Knights. Each one is sworn to protect the reincarnated goddess Athena, and they'll have to take on the other Greek gods to ensure no harm befalls her.
Comedy & Slice Of Life Anime
Hakata Mentai! Pirikaraki-Chan -- Crunchyroll
This adorable anime follows the lives of several food fairies, all of which live in a shopping district. One such fairy, Pirikarako-chan, is responsible for all the others, doing all she can every day to make sure everyone is okay.
Romance & Drama Anime
[None announced so far.]
Harem & Ecchi Anime
Hensuki: Are You Willing To Fall In Love With A Pervert, As Long As She's A Cutie? -- Funimation
After finding an unsigned love letter addressed to him, Keiki's only clue to his admirer's identity is the pair of panties found next to the note. In a bizarre twist on the Cinderella story, Keiki must find his true love--the one person who perfectly fits the lost underwear.
Magical Sempai -- Crunchyroll
After joining his school's magicians club, one boy realizes the president is terrible at magic. She suffers from stage fright and is incredibly clumsy. That won't stop her from striving towards being the next world-class magician, though.
Thriller & Supernatural Anime
[None announced so far.]
Sports & Music Anime
How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift? -- Funimation
After growing worried that she's eating too much junk food, Hibiki decides to hit the gym to lose weight. Initially intimidated by all the bodybuilders, Hibiki receives support from a personal trainer and several workout buddies and decides to train at her own pace.
Science Fiction & Fantasy Anime
The Ones Within -- Funimation
Akatsuki is a popular "Let's Play" livestreamer who winds up trapped in a popular MMORPG with seven other YouTubers and streamers. Now, the eight must compete for views or suffer deadly consequences.
To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts -- Crunchyroll
A country's civil war leads to the creation of mutant soldiers that can transform into monstrous Beasts. Years later, a woman travels in search of the truth behind her father, who never returned from a mission to hunt and kill his former Beast comrades.
We're deep into Destiny 2's latest content expansion, the Season of Opulence, meaning we're back on the grind to reach the new 750 Power level cap. The good news is, there are plenty of opportunities to gather more Powerful gear. 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.
The Monster Hunter movie is about a year off, but the project has added another name to its production. Along with some big name actors in Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil series, Hellboy) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Pacific Rim), German producer Martin Moszkowicz (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, Tarzan 3D) announced that Chinese distributor and producer Tencent Pictures is now attached.
Moszkowicz delivered the news via an Instagram post, writing, "Tencent announces [a] partnership with Constantin Film and Toho on [the] Monster Hunter movie for 2020." He followed the news up with another post, saying, "Constantin Film is proud to partner with Tencent and Toho [in] bringing [the] Monster Hunter movie to the screens of the world." Moszkowicz serves as the chairman on Constantin Film's executive board.
Tencent will serve as an additional producer alongside Moszkowicz's own Constantin Film and indie film production company Impact Pictures. The Chinese producer has been busy in the film world, making a big splash in 2016 with Warcraft. Tencent also helped with Bumblebee, Kong: Skull Island, Wonder Woman, and Venom. Most recently, the Chinese distributor was attached to Men in Black: International. Immediately following this, Tencent will lend a hand with Terminator: Dark Fate, which is set to debut on November 1.
The Monster Hunter movie stars Clifford "T.I." Joseph Harris Jr. (Ant-Man, Entourage), Diego Boneta (Before I Fall, Rock of Ages), Jin "MC Jin" Au-Yeung (2 Fast 2 Furious, The Man with the Iron Fists), Josh Helman (Jack Reacher, X-Men: Days of Future Past), Meagan Good (Don Jon, Shazam!), and Tony Jaa (Furious 7, XXX: Return of Xander Cage).
Monster Hunter is scheduled to debut in theatres on September 4, 2020.
For as long as there have been computers, people have made stories about them destroying all of mankind. This usually happens either because the machines see humans as a threat to their existence, or because they see us as obsolete and want to take over by killing us (and honestly, who can blame them?). Netflix's newest sci-fi movie, I Am Mother, tries to go a different route.
I Am Mother follow a girl referred to as Daughter (Clara Rugaard) who is being raised in an abandoned post-apocalyptic bunker by an artificial intelligence named Mother (voiced by Rose Byrne). Mother isn't programmed to kill humans, or even to raise them, but we see her learning how to take care of Daughter through trial and error, trying new things every day. The movie dares to ask: What if the machines really did want to help future generations of humans?
GameSpot had the chance to meet with director Grant Sputore and star Hilary Swank, who plays the mysterious Woman, after the film's world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Now that I Am Mother is out on Netflix, this feels like the perfect time to discuss it.
As it turns out, Sputore based his take on the post-apocalyptic on something that is very real. "One of the huge turning points in artificial intelligence development these days is that it is not programmed," Sputore told us. "From what I found in my research, the new kind of software creation system called Machine Learning allows the machine to program itself via trial and error and almost natural selection. It tries stuff and sees if it works, and then adapts, essentially. The biggest dilemma is how you get the machine to appreciate a human life, so you don't end up like most dystopian sci-fi movies."
"It sounds like what a mother does," Swank chimed in. "Mother is faster and smarter, but she's grappling with the same sorts of questions mothers do, like defining right and wrong and teaching their children to value life."
Indeed, without going into spoilers, the character of Mother is like few other AI characters in movies. She seemingly cares for the human she's raising, and even doubts her own actions when it comes to raising Daughter, the only living human in a bunker with a large supply of human embryos. Though initially a happy relationship, things start going south when Daughter starts getting curious about the outside world, and Mother tries to steer her away from the subject. That all changes once Woman (Hilary Swank) somehow enters the bunker and starts giving Daughter a different version of history than she was taught. I Am Mother feels like a big-budget movie with a giant scope, despite there being only three characters the entire movie, which was very much intentional.
"That's the way to make this as a first film," Sputore said. "Sci-fi isn't really the type of film you normally do as a debut feature, but I've always loved sci-fi films, so I had to do it. The film had to be as contained as possible while still sneaking in as much scale and big ideas as possible. We just happened to make the space feel really slick and stylish, and the cool robot helped a lot."
That robot is the titular Mother, which is voiced by Rose Byrne but played physically by Luke Hawker inside a practical suit, which was made by Weta Workshop (Lord of the Rings).
"From the outset, I wanted to do Mother practically," Sputore told us. "The robot is one of the leads in the movie; I didn't want to risk going CG when it can take the audience out of the film. We were lucky enough that we just sent an email to the people at Weta Workshop and they were interested in the script. Having them on board was a huge relief."
Though we are meant to sympathize with Mother, at least from the outset, Hilary Swank's character, Woman, constantly clashes with Mother in how to raise Daughter and what to tell her about the world. And Swank is in full Terminator 2 Linda Hamilton mode for most of the film. "It is a story of survival," she explained. "Where Daughter and Mother are in a confined sci-fi thriller, my character is in full post-apocalyptical mode. We don't know what she's gone through, but you know she's seen some awful things, and doesn't really trust Mother--or anyone, really."
When we think of great sci-fi movies featuring artificial intelligence, they're usually trying to kill all humans. But what we see in I Am Mother is different. Grant Sputore thinks that's because the relationship between humans and machines has changed from what we imagined in the '80s.
"The machines usually have animosity towards their creators and see them as a threat," Sputore told us. "Today we have a much more symbiotic relationship with technology, where we are interwoven with and rely on technology. When artificial intelligence emerges, we hope that it'll be a collaborative and beneficial experience for both parties. That's what I think is fresh about this movie--that we have an AI that does respect and love humanity, even if it's a complicated relationship that we explore onscreen."
Every Tuesday, online and physical retailers release a slew of new movies onto the world. Most of these movies won't hit streaming services like Netflix or Hulu for months--and some not at all--so if you want to check them out, you'll have to pony up some cash. This week's release list is light, but one is a must have for horror fans.
There are a few movies that are being released digitally and physically simultaneously. Hotel Mumbai--which is also available to rent digitally--arrives this week, and you can pick it up in stores in addition to places like iTunes or Google Play. The movie follows the real life story of the 2008 terrorist siege of the Taj Hotel. Additionally, an extended cut of A Star Is Born came out, as well as the movie Beach Bum, a Matthew McConaughey film about a beach bum named Moondog. That brief description is reminiscent of the actor's movie Surfer, Dude, which is unintentionally hilarious. For anime fans, there is a two-part One Piece story called Adventure of Nebulandia coming to Blu-ray as well.
However, the pick of the week is none other than the 4K and Blu-ray release of Jordan Peele's horror film Us. And while the digital version came out a few weeks ago, the special features for that release were just ok. However, the physical release's extra features are fantastic. At first glance, it contains the traditional featurette faire; however, what makes this such a fantastic release is Peele's willingness to go in-depth in the meanings behind the film, like explaining what the movie is truly about, or the actors discussing how they shot the movie--when they're playing two different parts. Additionally, there are deleted scenes, and while no audio commentary is a bit of a bummer, Peele discusses the movie so in-depth during the featurettes, that you don't really need commentary for the movie.
Below, you'll find the highlighted releases for this week.
Video game unionization has been increasingly talked-about in light of recent events, and now the idea has received a high-profile endorsement from US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. The Vermont Senator is currently running to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2020, and expressed support for game unionization on Twitter.
The tweet referenced the size of the multi-billion dollar industry and praised the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Game Workers Unite for organizing workers. He also linked to an article from Time, summarizing recent developments in the industry that have led to calls for unionization.
The video game industry made $43 billion in revenue last year. The workers responsible for that profit deserve to collectively bargain as part of a union. I'm glad to see unions like @IATSE and the broader @GameWorkers movement organizing such workers. https://t.co/Ia5gMG2v0w
Sanders is a self-described Democratic Socialist, and has often spoken on unionization and workers rights issues. He is one of almost two dozen Democratic candidates vying for the nomination.
Get ready for a cold snap. Monster Hunter World is preparing to kick off beta sessions for Iceborne on PlayStation 4, in preparation for the expansion launch later this year.
The beta will let you try out three quests. A Great Jagras hunt will be welcoming for newcomers to get your feet wet. The wyvern Banbaro offers a mid-level challenge, and Tigrex will challenge the most seasoned hunters. You'll also have access to all 14 weapon types across all three challenges and the training area. Weapons will include new features along with the Clutch Claw grapple and Slinger tools. Completing each challenge will earn you an item pack of consumables that will be waiting for you in the full version of Iceborne, when it launches.
The first Iceborne beta will be exclusive to PlayStation Plus users and begin on Friday, June 21. The second will be available or all PS4 owners and begin on Friday, June 28. You'll be able to pre-load in advance, and you won't need the base game to participate in the beta.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is coming on September 6 to PS4 and Xbox One, with a PC release following in the winter. You will need Monster Hunter World to place the full Iceborne expansion, and you'll need to have finished the main story through Hunter Rank 16 to play the Iceborne content.
Just as Microsoft's E3 sale on all things Xbox wraps up, Amazon swoops in with another great deal on Xbox One controllers paired PC wireless adapters, which are priced at $45 down from the listed $80. Microsoft is still offering $10 off many of its controllers directly, but Amazon's deal is better so long as you don't mind the standard, black model. You can save even more if you don't care about the wireless adapter, and get it with a cable instead for $40.37 total.
Keanu Reeves might be best known these days for his lead role in the John Wick series, or a surprise role in Cyberpunk 2077, but it was the Bill & Ted movies that made him a star. It's been 27 years since Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, but Reeves has reunited with co-star Alex Winter for the upcoming third movie, Bill & Ted Face The Music. Some new images have been released.
The film has started production, and the images show new cast members Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine, who are playing the daughters of the now middle-aged metal-loving pals. They were posted by co-writer Ed Soloman, who states that the comparison pictures of Weaving and Lundy-Paine with the young Reeves and Winter are on the wall of the production office. In a nice touch, Bill and Ted have named their kids after each other--Billie and Thea. Check it out below:
After years of rumors that Winter and Reeves might return for a third movie, in March the pair confirmed Bill & Ted Face the Music was finally happening. They recorded a short video thanking the fans for their dedication to the series and announcing that the movie would start shooting this summer.
Bill & Ted Face the Music hits theaters on August 21 2020, and is directed by Galaxy Quest's Dean Parisot. Solomon created the series with Chris Matheson, and the pair have written this one too. William Sadler is also set to return to the cast, reprising his Bogus Journey role as the Grim Reaper.
As for what the plot of the film will be, it was revealed by Solomon in January 2018 that the story finds Bill and Ted in the modern day, as family men that go back in time to revisit their younger selves, using footage from the original film.
Developer Epic Games continues to change Fortnite week-by-week, and the new update, version 9.30, introduces more new elements to the free-to-play battle royale phenomenon. Update 9.30 is live now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, adding a new item, removing weapons, and making a notable change to shotguns. Read on for the full patch notes and a rundown on its biggest additions and changes.
This week's new item is the Chug Splash, a throwable that allows you to heal other players. "Upon impact, the item splashes liquid in a small area," Epic's official blog post states. "All players within the splash radius will be instantly granted 20 health/shield."
If you're injured, you'll receive 20 health, while those with full health will be given 20 shield. "Chug Splash can heal allies, enemies, and can extend the duration of the 'knocked' state for knocked players." Chug Splashes are available in rare variants only from floor loot, chests, vending machines, supply drops, and llamas. They drop in stacks of two, up to a maximum of six.
Three limited-time modes enter the battle royale fray this week. Sniper Shootout Duos sees teams of two fight off with sniper rifles only, while Trios is classic battle royale with three-person squads, and Solid Gold Squads increases the abundance of legendary weapons.
Elsewhere, explosive availability has been drastically reduced: Epic has vaulted (removed) the Boom Bow, Dual Pistols, and Dynamite. The developer didn't offer much in the way of explanation for the change, merely stating, "These vaults are primarily targeted at adjusting the availability of explosives, putting them more in line with where we think they should be."
Shotguns have also been tweaked. The Combat Shotgun's long-range damage has been reduced, and there is no longer a delay when switching to shotgun weapons--unless you have multiple shotguns in your inventory. Take a look at the full list of Fortnite: Battle Royale patch notes below, via Epic.
On impact, this thrown item splashes liquid in a small area. All players within the splash radius will be instantly granted 20 Health/Shield.
Grants health unless you are full health, in which case it will grant Shield.
Chug Splash can heal allies, enemies, and can extend the duration of the 'knocked' state for knocked players.
Rare variant.
Drops in stacks of 2.
Max stack size: 6.
Can be found from Floor Loot, Chests, Vending Machines, Supply Drops, and Llamas.
Shotgun Swap Delay Removed
Shotgun cooldowns now only apply when the player is carrying multiple shotguns, regardless of Shotgun type.
This is a Quality of Life change to prevent the swap delay system from interfering with players who do not have multiple shotguns in their inventory. As with all changes, we'll be keeping a close eye on this and make adjustments if necessary.
Reduced the Combat Shotgun's long-range effectiveness
Reduced damage at medium distances by 10%
2.44 tiles to 4.88 tiles
Reduced damage at long distances by 20%
4.88 tiles to 9.76 tiles
The Combat Shotgun's accuracy uniquely enables players to hit shots from longer distances compared to other shotguns. However, the damage at those longer ranges was a little higher than desired.
Vaulted
Boom Bow
Dual Pistols
Dynamite
These Vaults are primarily targeted at adjusting the availability of explosives, putting them more in line with where we think they should be.
Removed the ability to ride Proximity Grenade Launcher projectiles
Due to the faster speed of this projectile, it was causing problems with level streaming. You can still ride rockets launched from Rocket Launchers.
Added short delay to start damaging players from Storm Flip on entry, to mimic normal Storm gameplay
Added Storm Flip to Audio Visualizer when it is activated
Toys no longer will show up in the elimination feed on Starter Island
Bug Fixes And Adjustments
Players could shoot immediately after using a Rift to Go.
Supply Drones would sometimes spawn underground in areas with water.
Adjusted the area of around the Reboot Van that players cannot build to prevent the placement of floors and traps under the Van.
The Proximity Grenade Launcher was auto reloading while aiming down sights.
This is fix makes it consistent with Snipers and will reload once unscoping or after next attempt to fire.
Adjusted the timing for the effects of consumables to help situations where players would switch away from the consumable before it finished activating.
Reboot Cards will no longer fall to the ground. They will remain where they spawn.
Reboot Cards were remaining available on the map even after the timer had expired.
Campfires could block explosion damage at specific angles.
The Shadow Bomb double jump ability could be activated while under the effect of a Boogie Bomb.
Boogie Bomb effects would continue playing on players while they were skydiving.
Empty Shadow Bombs could not be discarded correctly if eliminated while the effect was active while in respawn game modes.
Players that had a Rift to Go used on them at the same time they were being rebooted would sometimes not be put into the skydiving state.
Storm Flip would deal incorrect damage if two were overlapped on each other.
Storm Flip was able to stop a Supply Drop from falling
Weapons were showing while using emotes while on a Driftboard
Gameplay
Made the "Hold to Swap" feature an option. This defaults as OFF.
With the option OFF, pickup is now back on the initial button press instead of button release. This should result in more responsive pickup behavior.
Made the Fortbyte Pressure Plate Puzzle NW of The Block easier to complete.
Once unlocked the Fortbyte will be available for up to 15 seconds.
Parking all vehicles on the pedestals will trigger them, except the Hoverboard.
Slipstreams now fade out the visual effects and play audio cues to warn that they are shutting off before the collision and forces are disabled, to give players more advance warning.
Added Storm Flip color switch effects, depending on Storm intersection points.
Bug Fixes And Adjustments
Skydiving from the bus toward a slipstream was not auto-deploying gliders at the correct height.
Storm Surge was not activating in Phase 8
Player health could be improperly rounded when receiving damage.
The health bar for structures could disappear when hitting a wall and swapping to build mode.
Lava was dealing damage to players too quickly.
Performance
Rendering optimizations on player built walls to help end-game situations with thousands of building pieces.
Added general optimizations for audio visual indicators.
Bug Fixes and Adjustments
Resolved an issue causing poor performance in the lobby on Mac when in a large party.
Audio
Improvements to Grenade Launcher and Grenade fuse sounds
Added a close-range fuse loop that is attenuated based on damage radius.
Sound ramps up as the projectile get close to exploding. If you hear this you're going to take damage unless you block the explosion.
Lowered the volume of vehicles in a Slipstream that doesn't have a driver/passenger.
Increase the range for the enemy 1x1 pickaxe impact sound from 1 tile to 1.5 tiles
Bug Fixes And Adjustments
Fixed an issue with audio device hot-swapping when switching between outputs.
One-shot sounds could re-trigger when walking into audio range.
This was most noticeable with harvesting, explosion, and gunshot sounds.
The Victory Royale sound no longer gets affected by the slow-motion effect when a match is won.
The Combat Shotgun had the wrong fire sounds on mobile/Switch.
The Baller suction sounds were playing 2d if someone piloted a baller that you'd previously dismounted.
Sounds for consumables would not play if approaching a player while they were already using them
Footstep audio for the "Take the Elf" emote wasn't playing.
UI
Hiding the vehicle health bar that appears above a vehicle if you are the player operating it to avoid two vehicle health bars from being displayed.
The vehicle health bar that appears above a players health and shield will remain in the HUD.
Bug Fixes And Adjustments
The direction-to-safety vector lines were not appearing properly on the map when in game modes where respawn was enabled.
Replay
Bug Fixes And Adjustments
Scrubbing a replay could cause the unique font color on Golden points of interest to disappear.
Mobile
Increased the size of the auto-pickup radius for items
Bug Fixes And Adjustments
Graphical Improvements:
Lava textures were not appearing properly in the Floor of Lava Limited Time Mode on Android.
Resolved HLOD issues that were occurring at Loot Lake on Mobile.
Fixed the Quinjet Glider deploy animation on the Google Pixel 2.
The collar of the Instinct Outfit was clipping into the hood.
The Fiend Wrap and Turbulent Wraps were not displaying properly on certain Mobile devices.
The icon for the Wonder Outfit was displaying as pixels.
The FPS counter was not being properly displayed in-game when enabled.
While the map was opened, pressing anywhere outside of it was making that press count as if it was the joystick.
The Cycle Weapons HUD Layouts weren't visible after jumping from the Battle Bus
Fixed an issue where the "Require Access to Contacts" prompts was appearing for Mobile players.
Sound effects and music were not playing properly on the Moto Z2Force and HTC U11 devices.
Reloading a Shotgun was being impeded when Tap Anywhere was active.
Using a bluetooth controller was assigning players to the incorrect matchmaking bucket.
Player character models weren't appearing after returning to the Lobby from the Item Shop.
The Controller UI was appearing on screens even when a controller wasn't connected.
Hideo Kojima's new game, Death Stranding, was a no-show at E3 2019 last week. So when will we hear about it next? We might learn more at San Diego Comic-Con in July.
The game developer posted on Twitter today to say he and Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn are coming to San Diego Comic-Con. The specifics are unknown at this point, but it could be that the pair are appearing on some kind of joint panel where they talk about each other's projects.
The full San Diego Comic-Con schedule hasn't been posted yet, so there is no word yet on if the Kojima/Winding Refn panel is officially part of the show or connected to it in some other manner. The show runs July 18-21 in San Diego.
Winding Refn is the director of several Ryan Gosling movies including Drive and Only God Forgives. He appears in Death Stranding as the character "Heartman."
Winding Refn is just the latest celebrity to feature in Death Stranding. The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus plays the main character, while Lea Seydoux, Lindsay Wagner, Mads Mikkelsen, Margaret Qualley, Tommie Earl Jenkins, and Troy Baker all have roles in the game.
With major players like Microsoft, Sony, and Google invested in game-streaming technologies, it could be the next big evolution for gaming. Nintendo Switch has been home to only a limited number of streaming games from third-parties in Japan, including Resident Evil and Assassin's Creed. Now, a Nintendo executive has commented on the possibility of the Mario company itself getting involved.
Nintendo of America executive Charlie Scibetta told TechCrunch at E3 2019 that streaming is "certainly interesting technology." He added that Nintendo is monitoring the technology, going on to say that for now at least Nintendo is focusing on physical game sales and sales through the Nintendo EShop.
"Streaming is certainly interesting technology," he explained. "Nintendo is keeping a close eye on it and we're evaluating it. We don't have anything to announce right now in terms of adopting that technology. For us, it's still physical and it's digital downloads through our eShop."
Another executive, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser (yes, that is his real name), told The Hollywood Reporter that "it's always interesting to see what others are doing in the space" as it relates to streaming.
"We're always interested in how various new technologies can enable different ways to play games," he said.
While Nintendo might not have a streaming service of its own, the company does operate a subscription service in the form of the Nintendo Switch Online membership program.
At long last, Cyberpunk 2077 recently got a release date. The new game launches in April 2020, but that puts it right near the end of this console generation; next spring is around six months before Xbox's Project Scarlett and possibly the PlayStation 5 are scheduled to launch during the holiday season. Will The Witcher developer's ambitious RPG also come to these new, next-gen consoles? It's something that developer CD Projekt Red is looking at, according to senior level designer Miles Tost.
He told GamerHubTV that CD Projekt Red is currently focused on the current generation of consoles and PC, though the studio is also considering next-generation systems. "We'll look at [next-generation consoles] and go, 'Maybe?' But it's not our area of interest right now."
"Of course we are looking at what is happening in the games industry because we are part of it, and we need to always look forward," he said. "But at the same time, we are a studio that really focuses on the work we're doing now. So our full attention is on current-gen consoles and PC. Who knows? When the time comes for it, maybe [we'll support next-gen consoles]. But until [Cyberpunk 2077 launches in April 2020], we have a thing to do. And as far as what I have heard, the next-gen consoles ... Xbox just announced holiday 2020. So it's not really a concern for us now because it comes way after where we want to release our game."
Project Scarlett is launching in holiday 2020, while the PlayStation 5 is also rumored to be launching around then. Just recently, analyst firm Cowen & Company released a report that backs that up, stating that Sony's new system is expected to release in the fall/holiday season.
Project Scarlett and the PlayStation 5 are already confirmed to be backwards compatible, so it is expected that Cyberpunk 2077 will play on the new consoles. Both systems are more powerful than the beefiest current generation console hardware, so Tost is likely speaking about next-generation consoles in regards to what capabilities the new hardware might allow Cyberpunk 2077 to achieve on them.
Cyberpunk 2077 launches on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on April 16, 2020. The Matrix actor Keanu Reeves plays a major role in the game, though unfortunately he won't sing.
Cyberpunk 2077 features The Matrix actor Keanu Reeves in a major role. The character he plays, Johnny Silverhand, was in a rock band called Samurai. But will Reeves sing in the game? He wants to, but the game's developer, CD Projekt Red, apparently has other ideas.
CD Projekt Red recruited an unnamed rock band to do the music, Reeves said, "so they're going to be doing that." Still, Reeves says he may be able to have some influence on the music.
"We have a bit of time, so maybe we'll see what happens," he said. "Maybe the lead singer of the band will let me have some kind of influence in there. We'll see."
Dr. Mario World, which is Nintendo's next mobile game, will release on July 10. Nintendo announced the release date today and also shared the first screenshots and gameplay.
In the match-three puzzle game, game you'll use capsules to eliminate various viruses. The video below shows the first gameplay and explains how it works. Also in the video Nintendo talks about Dr. Mario World's mictotransactions, which come in the form of Diamonds that you can buy through the in-game shop. They're available in various allotments, starting with a pack of 20 for $2 USD and running up to 1,050 Diamonds for the price of $70 USD. The Diamonds can be used to continue gameplay, obtain items, and restore stamina. Check out the video below to learn more.
Dr. Mario isn't the only star of the game. You can also purchase other doctors, including Dr. Peach, Dr. Yoshi, and Dr. Toad, from the in-game shop (though it's not clear if these extra doctors are sold for real money). Each doctor has a unique skill that is exclusive to them, which encourages players to get them all.
Dr. Mario World was announced by Nintendo back in February, at which time the company only confirmed the existence of the game but not any details about it.
Nintendo's next mobile game after Dr. Mario World is Mario Kart Tour, which is already in beta-testing in various parts of the world.
Just before the release of Rockstar's open-world action game Red Dead Redemption 2, reports emerged about the working conditions at the studios that developed the game. This naturally led to a discussion about unions, which are largely non-existent in the video game world. Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Rockstar's parent company Take-Two, has now weighed in on the subject of unions. He told GI.biz that it's "hard to imagine" why his developers would want to unionize, but if they do, management would work on a collective bargaining agreement with them.
Before making his point about unions in the games industry specifically, Zelnick offered a higher-level view of why he believes unions exist in the first place.
"Unions tend to develop when labor relations are not typically non-existent," Zelnick said. "And typically unions have been most beneficial when there were more workers than there were jobs. And where the jobs were low-paying jobs. We have fewer workers than we have jobs, and they're high-paying jobs."
"Right now, Take-Two has 500 open positions. There are 220,000 or so people employed in the US video game business. They make about $100,000 on average, maybe more. It's hard to imagine what would motivate that crew to unionize," Zelnick added. "But we're a compliant company and will serve the law. If our colleagues want to engage in collective bargaining, then we will."
Unions are common in other popular media industries such as TV and film, but the video game business is largely unionized. Unionization efforts in the video game industry appear to be ramping up of late, with groups like Game Workers Unite appearing at recent industry events like E3 and the Game Developers Conference to spread the message.
The latest Nintendo Switch firmware update has arrived, but don't get too excited. Version 8.1.0 is out now, and it doesn't do much, at least based on Nintendo's official description. The official patch notes are one line long.
"General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience," the patch notes state regarding the system update. It's possible other tweaks could be included that are not listed, but there's no indication of that thus far.
Your Switch will most likely download the update automatically if you have it connected to the internet. To verify you have the latest version installed, head to the System Settings menu and look for Version 8.1.0. You can also manually trigger the update on the System Settings menu.
In other Switch news, it was recently reported that production on the rumored new Switch models has begun, and that Nintendo moved production out of China due to the threat of Trump's tariffs. One of the consoles reportedly has beefier specs, while the other is reportedly a lower-cost alternative that may feature a different form factor. Those could launch as soon as this year.
The Gears Of War movie is set in an "alternate reality" separate from the mainline Gears of War video game series, and this is what could help it rise above the history of video game movies being mediocre or worse.
That's according to Rod Fergusson, the head of developer The Coalition. He said in an interview with IGN that the thought process behind making the Gears of War movie was that it "has to be a great movie first and a Gears movie second."
"Basically the way that we sort of reconciled that was, we said, 'Oh, the movie should be an alternate reality. It should not be dependent on the game story, nor should it influence the game story.'"
According to Fergusson, this setup allows the writing team to craft original ideas in an open framework. He said he's heard of other video game franchises that have approached movie writers with a "story Bible" that outlines in-depth rules for what the team can and cannot do. For the Gears of War movie, he took a different approach.
"When we did it, we were two pages. I was like, 'Here's two pages of thou shall nots and recommendations.' We want people to have the freedom to have new ideas and to take things differently," he explained.
The movie writers don't have total freedom, however, as Fergusson said the Gears of War movie should take place on the franchise's home planet of Sera. It also needs to feature "certain characters," according to IGN, which is probably a reference to Marcus Fenix.
No director has been announced for the movie. The late Tony Scott, who directed Top Gun and Man On Fire, reportedly wanted to direct the Gears of War movie.
As for the Gears of War series, the next game is Gears 5 which launches in September for Xbox One and PC. At E3, Microsoft showed off a brand-new mode called Escape. You can see 10 minutes of gameplay from Escape in the video above and read
Schafer, in a 30-second video posted to the official Double Fine Twitter account, basically said Microsoft rolled up with "a bunch of money" and made the team an offer they couldn't refuse. The video features all the slow-mo head movement and melodrama that would make any soap opera jealous.
As you may have heard from the @Xbox E3 briefing moments ago, Double Fine is joining Xbox Game Studios! How did this come about? let's ask @timoflegend … pic.twitter.com/n6EACVo7OZ
The studio's next game, Rad, a post-apocalyptic action game published by Bandai Namco, is set to release on August 20 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Psychonauts 2--set to arrive sometime in 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One--will mark the studio's first game published under the Xbox Game Studios moniker.
Every week, streaming services like Amazon Video Prime, Hulu, and Shudder--which specializes in horror--release new content for its users to check out. But how do you keep track of what's coming out every day? Luckily, GameSpot has you covered with a breakdown of this week's releases.
Over on Amazon, the week kicks off on Monday with Season 8 of the long-running legal drama Suits. Aside from that, there is one original movie that day and three original series at the end of the week. It's a very light week for new content on Amazon.
Hulu, on the other hand, has plenty of new TV shows and movies to stream this week. The highlight comes on Friday, when all of the new summer game shows land after they air on network TV. The one that looks like strangest/most watchable is Holey Moley. Hosted by Stephen Curry, the series is like mini-golf, if mini-golf landed in a pool of gamma waste, was bit by a radioactive spider, and was born on an alien planet. It's extreme miniature golf on a ridiculous, over-the-top course. People will fall trying to putt a ball, and I will laugh.
If you hate laughing, and you're more into being scared, then you're probably subscribed to Shudder. There are a few fantastic releases this week, including the 2016 South Korean movie The Wailing. It's centered around a small village where an infectious sickness breaks out, and it's one of the country's best horror films, which is saying a lot as Korean horror is pretty awesome as a whole. Additionally, there's Shudder Guides coming out this week which is a five-part series featuring Shudder's lead curator, Sam Zimmerman, discussing horror sub-genres.
Below, you'll find all of this week's releases from Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Shudder. Make sure to see what's coming out to Netflix this week as well.
June 16
Hulu
The Riveras: Complete Season 3 (Telemundo)
The Good Shepherd (2006)
June 17
Amazon
Yardie (2018) – Amazon Original movie
Suits Season 8
Hulu
Das Boot: Complete Season 1 (Sonar)
Shudder
The Wailing (2016)
The Wild Boys (2017)
June 18
Hulu
Grand Hotel: Series Premiere (ABC)
Star vs. The Forces of Evil: Complete Season 4 (Disney XD)
The hype is building around Borderlands 3 as its September 13 release date draws closer, but if you haven't had a chance to play any other games in the franchise or would be interested in owning them on PC, here's a great opportunity: Digital PC key retailer Green Man Gaming is currently offering Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for only $3. That's a full 95% off the bundle, which still sells for anywhere between $15 and $60 elsewhere. (Rather play on PS4? The Handsome Collection is also free on PS4 for PS Plus members in June.)
After purchasing, you'll receive a Steam key, so you must have a Steam account to redeem. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection also has full controller support on Steam, if you prefer to use a controller over a mouse.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection includes remastered versions of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, with the latter taking place between the events of Borderlands and Borderlands 2. The compilation includes all DLC for the games, including additional campaigns and playable characters. With online or local split-screen multiplayer for up to four players, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is an excellent multiplayer game for anyone's collection, although you can play it solo as well.
In GameSpot's Borderlands 2 review, the game received an 8.5. "Borderlands 2 doesn't reach far beyond its predecessor's scope, but it does do almost everything better," wrote critic Chris Watters. "Additions, refinements, and fixes all combine to create an appreciably improved experience, one that fully delivers on the promise of the first game. While Borderlands felt empty at times, this sequel is bursting with content and brimming with life, making it an absolutely delightful way to spend hours and hours and hours of your free time."
Meanwhile, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel earned a 7 in its review. "Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is different enough to separate itself from the shadows of its older siblings. Elpis provides some gorgeous scenery, and the low-gravity environments bring an exciting new dynamic exploration and combat," critic Cameron Woolsey wrote. "No, it never reaches the furthest edges of space, but Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel still offers some the best of what the series has to offer: good loot, good laughs, and good times for many hours."
Though Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu definitely died in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the prolific American actor believes the purple lightsaber-wielding Jedi isn't gone. Revenge of the Sith is the third and final entry in the prequel trilogy releasing in 2005, meaning the Windu hasn't been seen in theaters in a little over 14 years now. However, Jackson wants "one more run" as the Jedi Master and member of the Jedi High Council--who is absolutely still dead.
Jackson sat down with Stephen Colbert, where he was asked if he'd reprise any of his more iconic and memorable roles. To rapturous audience applause, Jackson said, "I'd really love to give one more run at Mace Windu in Star Wars."
Windu battled Emperor Palpatine for a brief moment of flashy swordplay in Revenge of the Sith before getting his right hand chopped off and then being electro-blasted out of a window. A fall from such great heights would kill any normal human, and in response to Colbert questioning Windu's survivability, Jackson said, "There's a long history of one-handed guys that were Jedis that have lightsabers that still make it. Jedis can fall from incredible heights and not die, like cats."
The epic space-opera is set to make a huge splash this year. In the video game department, Star Wars - Jedi: Fallen Order will launch on November 15 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Over on the film side, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will debut in theatres on December 20. While Jackson won't appear in either, he still has a busy second half of 2019, starring in Shaft (out now), Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2), and The Last Full Measure (October 25).
The professional wrestling industry is at a very interesting place in 2019, perhaps more exciting for sports entertainment than any other time since the Monday Night Wars (1995-2001) pitted Vince McMahon's WWE (then WWF) against Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling. It's this year that was founded by Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan, with a mission of offering wrestling fans a true alternative to WWE--and doing it on the biggest stage it possibly can.
AEW will debut a weekly show on TNT--former home of WCW--this fall and has some of the most popular and talented wrestlers from around the world signed to perform and help build the company. From former WWE stars Cody Rhodes and Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose) to independent luminaries like The Young Bucks and Christopher Daniels, AEW's roster of talent is one of the most impressive in modern professional wrestling industry.
The most exciting member of the roster, though, is likely none other than Kenny Omega. At 35 years old, Kenny Omega has earned a reputation as one of the--if not the--best wrestlers performing today. His long stint in Japan earned him the nickname "Best Bout Machine" due to the high quality of his matches and now, as part of AEW, he's ready to make his mark on an even bigger stage as both a performer and one of the company's Executive Vice Presidents.
Omega stopped by the GameSpot Base Station at E3 2019, which you can see in the latest episode of Being the Elite below, and took some time to speak with us about a number of topics, including his upcoming match against Moxley at AEW's All Out on August 31. "The problem is, is that he's kind of coming into my world," Omega said of the former WWE Champion. "And, I don't want him to think that it's going to be easy for him. I don't want him to think that he's going to get a free ride. You can talk the best game in the world. You can. You can brawl like the best of them. But the fact of the matter is, I made my name by being the best."
Keep reading for Omega's take on how AEW plans to be different from WWE, the link between gamers and wrestling fans, and the challenges of taking on a role on the business side of the wrestling industry.
GameSpot: You're now on the other side of the first AEW show. What lessons did you take away from that as you're going forward to now looking at launching a weekly program and a full company?
Kenny Omega: I mean, you really have to take a look at the good and the bad, the positives and negatives, and you have to be very constructively critical about your own performance. Now that we're essentially running the show, we have to be critical about what we can improve moving forward. So for me, I'm a real tough critic of myself. And, so, I unfortunately always look at what can we improve moving forward. So, for me, some production issues. We can clean up some of the camera work. Some of the audio issues. I didn't like that I could barely hear my theme music. You know what I mean?
But these are things that are such an easy fix. The things that we got right, were actually the hardest things on the show to get it right. We gave a full show, from start to finish, that looked completely different from start to finish. No one match appeared similar to one another. And especially the last three, four matches, they were all so visually different from one another. Different in feeling, different in atmosphere. And that's something really tough to do in wrestling because when you really dumb down the idea of wrestling, and when you think of it at the bare-bones level, it's... People think, "Okay, it's two guys, and they're oiled up, and they're wearing Speedos, and they're grappling with each other, rolling around."
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
Wrestling has evolved to a point where it could literally be anything, and that's kind of what the whole idea of AEW was founded on, was that wrestling can be anything, and we can expand those ideas. We can expand the entire universe of wrestling beyond what people have come to expect and beyond what people are used to seeing, even. So, in America especially, people associate professional wrestling with one company. And that's fine. That's totally cool. We want to be an alternative to that, and we want to expand on that entire idea.
So if you like what they're doing, that is great. I'm happy you love it. But, if you come over and watch what we're doing, we're going to give you not only what they're doing, but we're going to give you a bunch of flavors and types of wrestling that are much different than that. And I think, based on the first show, we're on the right track.
Over in Japan, you were heavily just wrestling.
Kenny Omega: Right.
You're now all diving into the business side, from putting the shows together to scouting arenas. What has surprised you about that side of the business?
Kenny Omega: Right. So what people don't understand is that a lot of us, actually, that came from New Japan, that came from Ring Of Honor, we assumed a lot of responsibility there as well. I was kind of the driving force behind a lot of my storylines, behind a lot of my creative ideas. It's the stuff that you don't really see. I mean the tech stuff. Some of the set design. Those are things that are new to me, and even agenting matches or working on foreign visas, things like that, these are all things that are very new in my world, and these are the things that keep me awake at night. So, I mean, when we're thinking about how to plan the show, what order things should go in, how to produce a show, timing-wise and all that, working on sponsorships, selecting the arenas, working on the advertising aspect of it.
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
And then, you know for me, kind of being the sole Japanese liaison right now, not only am I having to do that during the day, during normal North American hours, I have to be awake for the Japanese time zone. And I have to work with our ladies and men up there to get their visas sorted out, to make sure that they're feeling comfortable, make sure their flights and their travel's squared up, hotels, et cetera, et cetera.
So it's very mentally draining, and I've been very under-rested. And then on top of that, when you strip all that away, I was in the first main event, so I got to still worry about my own performance. It's really tough, and I think when you burn the candle on both ends, eventually it's going to start to show. My big worry was not that, "Can I do it or can I not do it?" Of course I can. But for how long? Because everyone has their limit. So, right now, we are understaffed. But every week that goes by, we're finding new talented people. We're configuring this team and building a team that really wants to join this project and be successful with us. So the first show, to get it all out, was a bit of a struggle. We did it. Next we've got Fyter Fest coming up. Already, we're teamed up with CEO, so we have a lot of people in the [fighting game community], people from the 10-0 crew there that do hard work there, helping us put that together.
So, as time goes by, we're getting help from the usual suspects but also unusual sources as well. And moving forward, before we hit TV, I think we'll have our core crew assembled, and we'll be ready to just hit it home.
Speaking of Fyter Fest, the crossover between wrestling fans and video game fans is insane. You have been able to actually use that as sort of building your character through your attire and your move set. What is it that makes both these two fairly different things appeal to the same exact people? Because I'm always surprised.
Yeah, you know what? It's funny because I was really surprised myself. When I actually first contact Jebailey, who runs CEO, I said, "Hey, man. Look, I know you're a wrestling fan, and I just want to know, is there space for me to join your tournament? Could I just come down and hang out? Could I compete in Street Fighter?" And he's like, "Yeah, yeah, sure. Of course, you can."
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
And I just wanted to be a dude. You know what I mean? I want to try my hand to competing. We don't have any locals, really, where I'm from in Winnipeg. No majors, especially. No premiers or majors. So I just wanted to go to what people would consider one of the more fun events. And when I showed up, thinking I was just going to be a guy, you know, I had people come to me telling me, "You know, I saw your match. I loved it. I saw this match. I loved it. You're doing great stuff in Japan." I was blown away. For this whole new community, this group of people that I'd never met before, they were so inviting and so kind. I just really felt like I found kind of a new family, in a way.
So that's what sort of inspired Fyter Fest, and even the first CEO-cross-New Japan show. As a gamer, I can play at a decent level, but it's not like I can offer groundbreaking tech. You know what I mean? I can't offer things that are going to help people improve their game. I can't offer new software. I can't offer new hardware. So I thought, if there's anything I can give back to the community, it's my wrestling. So we planned the first ever crossover event last year. It was successful. And then this year, we just want to build on that and groove on it. And, hopefully, whether people are competing or non-competing or whatever, we can give them something to do at night, just to kind of relax and have fun and not worry about, you know, where their standings are or if they drown in pools or whatever. Yeah.
Looking at what you guys have coming up, you have, I believe at current, you have three upcoming shows already in the books and on the go. And you have the weekly TV show.
Kenny Omega: We do.
You mentioned something that stuck out to me about Double Or Nothing. That there was no match was like any other match on that card. How important is that, as you sort of move forward, and you have to move into? Because the other company has five hours of TV, every single week. That can get repetitive. How important is it to keep changing things up to stay fresh?
Kenny Omega: Absolutely. I appreciate all the genres of movie or television show or whatever. Sometimes I'm in a specific mood. Sometimes I want to be scared. Sometimes I want to laugh, sometimes I want to cry. But a lot of times, I would love to feel a broad spectrum of emotion with you. And I feel that when you achieve that, you can engage a larger audience, and you can keep them engaged. When I look at what makes a Marvel film entertaining... What makes them so popular? Why does everyone like them? Why do kids like them? Why do adults like them? Why is it the go-to film anytime a Marvel film is released? Well, it's because there's drama, there's comedy, there are serious moments that make you angry. there's serious moments that make you want to cry. It has all of those things, but at the end of it, it's a story of good versus evil, much like professional wrestling.
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
I think that's very intriguing. This past show was the first time I've ever been exposed to the Joshi girls, and that was such an insanely different thing than anything I had experienced.
Kenny Omega: So, for me, there was a time when I was just disenchanted with professional wrestling. Nothing was doing it for me. I felt like I'd seen it all, and what people were giving me wasn't what I wanted to watch, and it just didn't seem interesting to me. It wasn't until I discovered the Joshi, how the style differs, how you can feel the passion resonate in every match in their performance. That's what brought me back into wrestling, and in a way, it almost kind of made me appreciate everything else as well. So what people don't realize a lot of times is that there are so much different variety in professional wrestling, in the art of what we do.
People think that wrestling is one way and it has to be that way. A lot of promotions around the world condition you to believe that too. And that's how they kind of build a fan base and make you believe that what they're doing is the best out there. And I get that. But for me, I would love... Even if I'm a hot dog company, I still want you to have a burrito, I still want you to have a hamburger, I still want you to have a pirozhki or something. You know what I mean? All of the various cuisines of the world, I want that in my restaurant, so that when you look at the menu and say, "Okay. Well, I can have a hot dog with mustard, a hot dog with ketchup, hot dog with both," but at the end of that, you're just getting a hot dog. You know what I mean?
So I want to allow the world to sample the various cuisines of pro wrestling and enjoy them. And if you like one more than others, that's fine, but guess what? You have all this other stuff, and I'm finding and scouring the earth for the best representatives of said talent. And for a lot of people, you know, they don't really understand what true Joshi wrestling is like. I mean, sure, they've seen some talent from Japan in [inaudible] League. And they've got some of the best representatives on the planet, some of my favorites, some of my personal friends.
However, you don't necessarily see them in their element. You don't necessarily see them excel to the degree that they can excel in, which is why I brought out six very different Joshi stars, legendary stars, up-and-coming stars, you know, special interest stars. And we threw them all in one match and it was just, "Do your thing. Show us what you're all about," and that's really the only guideline I gave them. It was just, "I want you guys to show what you're all about and give the world a taste of what Joshi pro wrestling is."
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
Of course, I care about my own performance and when people tell me that I had a great match, but for people to tell me that, "Hey, I didn't know who those girls were when they came out. I didn't know what they were doing when they started the match. By the end of the match, I can say that it was really interesting and I respected it," or, you know, "I want to see more of them," that's the greatest compliment that I can receive because that's something that's near and dear to my heart. And for people to kind of accept that as well, is the best news I can hear.
And lastly, it was announced that you're fighting Moxley at All Out, which is very exciting. And he's been someone who's been very vocal the past few weeks about how this is his chance to sort of spread his wings and actually get to do the thing that he loves to do. What are your thoughts on this match, and how important it is, not even just for him and you but for the company as it's moving forward?
Kenny Omega: Yeah, it's crazy because I remember seeing him on TV. I saw something there. I knew that there was something magnetic about him, something special about him. WWE never showed it. And then when I see him nowadays, when I see these backstage promos, when I see the stuff that he's done in Japan, when I see the stuff that he's doing around the world, I see this new enthusiasm. I see the spark. I even see the physical condition that he's in. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. This is not the Moxley that came from that other place. This is a Jon Moxley that's reborn. I have to assume that this is a new entity, that this is a new person, and he has a type of enthusiasm and that sort of never-say-die attitude. And, with the skillset that he has, that magnetic charisma, with that ability to sell a match with this promo skills, with that ability to be incredibly physical, he's kind of like a new-age Terry Funk. You know what I mean? He brings something very new to the table that people clearly enjoy.
But the problem is, is that he's kind of coming into my world. And, I don't want him to think that it's going to be easy for him. I don't want him to think that he's going to get a free ride. You can talk the best game in the world. You can. You can brawl like the best of them. But the fact of the matter is, I made my name by being the best. I made my name by having the greatest 20-minute matches, 30-minute matches, 60-minute matches, and I've shown that I can do it in all styles of professional wrestling. Now, finally, he has the platform to show if he can be that multifaceted tool. So this is going to be the grandest stage for him, and this is going to be the biggest test for him as well. Yes, he can brawl. Yes, he can talk. But now, can he wrestle? Now, can he win? Now, can he fight? Now, can he have the type of performances that AEW is going to command from him? This is the real test.
AEW's next show, Fyter Fest airs June 29 on Bleacher Report Live. The event will stream for free.
The upcoming 2020 follow-up to Ghostbusters will cap off some two decades of "true Ghostbusters sequel" talk. For years, original Ghostbusters co-star and co-writer Dan Aykroyd was quoted saying he was nearing production on Ghostbusters 3, an international take known as "Hellbent." That would have taken the team into Scotland then back to a spirit-infested Manhattan (called "Manhellton" after a demonic takeover) with planned co-star Adam Baldwin in the villain role. "We kind of lost interest for a while there. After the second movie, it was successful, but everybody went on to new things," Aykroyd told GameSpot during the lead-up to Ghostbusters Fan Fest in Los Angeles.
"We tried different stories. Nobody was happy with the story. I think Hellbent could have worked, but I had other collaborators there, and we were all a team. Harold [Ramis], Ivan [Reitman], myself, Bill [Murray]--no one found a story that we all liked," lamented Aykroyd.
A well-received Ghostbusters video game came out in 2009 (and there's an HD remaster due out soon). Aykroyd himself compares that to a third movie, although the script was internally written at developer Terminal Reality. All four stars--Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis--returned to their roles. A movie, however, wasn't to be.
In 2016, Paul Feig directed a Ghostbusters reboot with Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones starring. Aykroyd was one of the executive producers. "I really liked the ladies' movie. I liked the idea, and I liked the movie, I just wish that I'd been watching the economics of it, as one of the sets of eyes that was producing it," said Aykroyd.
With a production budget of $144 million, the box office draw was $229 million worldwide. Despite that, thanks to a gargantuan marketing budget, Sony didn't turn a profit. "You trust the director, and he had his vision, so we let him do his vision, and just economically, it stopped us from doing another ladies' movie. I would have loved that, and maybe we will someday," said Aykroyd. "Those are master comediennes there, and really, I think this thing's going to do really well in DVD and ancillary, and they're going to make their money back someday."
Before release (and after too), the cast members became targets of online harassment. At one point, Leslie Jones deleted her Twitter account to get away from the hate. Aykroyd didn't take the vitriolic response lightly when asked about it. "Everybody that is in comedy, everybody that knows a good performance, and anybody who's a fan of those four ladies, just loved the picture, because they really delivered. Anything less than that, is simply just straight up prejudice and bias that should not be tolerated in any way, in my view," he said.
In spite of the 2016 box office, a 2020 film is a go. The still untitled sequel will again see Aykroyd in a producer role, with Ivan Reitman's son, Jason Reitman, directing. "Jason came up with this idea, which is just so good, everybody got it right away and understood. It will connect, better than anything, to the first movie," said Aykroyd. "That's about all I can say about it, but the two movies will connect, in a way that hasn't been done before."
With Wizard World's Ghostbusters Fan Fest recently held on Sony's studio lot in LA and a 35th anniversary SteelBook 4K Blu-ray release including both original films out now, Ghostbusters fandom doesn't show signs of slowing down. There's reason to be excited. Co-star Sigourney Weaver confirmed to Parade she is set to return as Dana Barrett in the new film. She'll be joined by Bill Murray, and at Fan Fest, Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson were also confirmed.
In between movie roles, Aykroyd makes appearances to promote his Crystal Head Vodka. It's clear to him the passion is out there. "Out of 300 or 400 people, there will be 20 or 30 Ghostbusters," said Aykroyd, speaking about cosplayers who show up to his events. "10% come with suits, and full packs... that they've built off the internet. They've turned the family wagon into the Ecto 1 and 2. It's so fun to see. They've got their kids dressed up as them, and they're passing it on to a third generation."
With the two originals, 2016, and untitled 2020 Ghostbusters, this will be a generation lucky enough to have four Ghostbusters movies carrying them through childhood, and likely leading to additional generations hooked on trapping spirits.
Fortnite's Week 6 challenges are now live on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, which means you now have another chance to earn Battle Stars and level up your Season 9 Battle Pass. As usual, there's an extra incentive to complete as many of these challenges as possible; if you clear all seven from a given week, you'll also complete one of Season 9's Utopia challenges, which in turn will lead the way to a secret item hidden somewhere in the game--including another Fortbyte.
Each Utopia challenge you complete in Season 9 will reward you with a special loading screen that contains a secret clue pointing you to a free item. Odd-numbered Utopia challenges will lead to a free Battle Star, which will level your Battle Pass up by one full tier; even-numbered challenges, however, will direct you to the aforementioned Fortbytes--a new type of collectible introduced in Season 9.
Fortbytes resemble computer chips, and each one you collect unlocks a portion of a larger picture. There are 100 Fortbytes in total, and while most of them can be acquired by achieving certain milestones, a handful are tied to Utopia challenges. That's the case with Fortbyte #2. The clue for this particular chip can be found in the loading screen you earn for completing the Week 6 Utopia challenge--or, more specifically, its description, which reads, "Only the best snipers can take out a holo-clock tower lamp from the rooftops of Neo Tilted."
Just as the description says, you'll need to go to Neo Tilted to find this Fortbyte. The item will appear on top of the aforementioned clock tower, so simply make your way to the area to collect it. We've marked the Fortbyte's exact location on the map below; you can also watch where we go to collect it in the video at the top of this guide.
Unlike secret Battle Stars, which will only appear once you've completed their corresponding Utopia challenge, this Fortbyte is available to everyone who has purchased a Season 9 Battle Pass, regardless of whether or not you've finished enough challenges to unlock the above loading screen. That means you can head to the right area and collect it without much hassle. If you do need help completing this season's challenges, however, you can find tips and guides in our complete Fortnite Season 9 challenges roundup.
Week 6's challenges arrived shortly after Fortnite's 9.21 update, which added another new weapon to the game: the Proximity Grenade Launcher, a gun that lobs bouncing explosives at opponents. The Proximity Grenade Launcher comes in Epic and Legendary varieties and can be found in chests, supply drops, vending machines, or from Loot Carriers. The update also kicked off a new limited-time mode called Horde Rush, which features its own set of challenges to complete. You can find the full patch notes for the update on Epic's website.
For a limited time, Best Buy is offering discounts on certain Turtle Beach gaming headsets for PS4, Xbox One, and Windows PC. That discount ranges from $15 off the entry-level Stealth 300 models to $70 off the high-end Elite Pro 2 with SuperAmp. Turtle Beach is one of the premier manufacturers of dedicated gaming audio, often ranking among the best gaming headsets, offering a combination of sound quality, comfort, and control that's optimized for each platform.
A dedicated gaming headset can be one of the most essential accessories in any gamer's collection, whether you're a conscientious roommate looking to keep the noise down, an aspiring esports pro looking to communicate with your team, or an audiophile who wants to immerse themselves in your games' stereo soundscapes. If you're looking to trick out your setup, or that of a gamer in your life, check out our guides to essential accessories for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, respectively.
E3 recently wrapped up in LA, but several sales on games, consoles, accessories, and more are ending soon, so check out all the best PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch deals while they're still available.
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