Month: June 2018

It’s a trope as old as time. Ever since Ursula Andress played Honey Ryder in 1962’s Dr. No, the James Bond film franchise have been as closely identified with the idea of the “Bond Girl” as they have the titular super spy himself. Whether it’s Pussy Galore (Goldfinger) or Anya Amasova–otherwise known as Agent XXX–in The Spy Who Loved Me, the older 007 has typically had young female love interests that didn’t tend to last much longer than a single film. In fact, it wasn’t until 2015’s Spectre that the Bond Girl (Monica Bellucci) was in her 50s.

Given how far back the cliche goes, though, it may come as a surprise that Marvel’s Luke Cage has found a way to make that trope interesting again in Season 2. No, the titular Luke (Mike Coulter) isn’t romancing a much younger woman. Instead, it’s the villain seducing someone 20 years their junior–and what’s more, the older half of this relationship is a woman. Major spoilers for the second season of Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix follow.

In Season 2 of Luke Cage, Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard) enters into a romantic relationship with Hernan “Shades” Alvarez in a subplot showrunner Cheo Coker was particularly happy with. “My thing is that nobody ever thinks anything of a male star having a female counterpart that’s 20 years younger,” he says during a group interview. “It happens routinely. Half of James Bond’s Bond Girls are 25 years younger than Bond is at this point. For the reverse, the same thing is that we wanted to, on one hand, to show mature sexuality. Then, at the same time, have it not be this weird thing, or it being this quirk. It being two people who are attracted for these dark reasons.”

The connection shared by Mariah and Shades is truly a dark and violent one. However, it doesn’t necessarily start that way. “Very early on, one of the things that Mariah says is she wants Shades to take off his shades and be her Hernan,” Coker says. “The problem is, as she gets deeper and he gets more conflicted, they, in a weird way, switch sides.”

That relationship–and how it changes both Dillard and Shades–is a key component in both of their Season 2 stories. While Mariah continues further and further down a dark and horrible path, fully embracing her status as a Stokes, Shades begins to question his evil ways–especially after watching Mariah murder countless people in cold blood.

“The metaphor that we used ultimately was Lady Macbeth,” Coker explains. “She encourages Shades to do things that are more and more nefarious, but then ultimately does she get to the point where she can’t handle it? We did a reverse really with Shades because Shades is always encouraging her. Is Shades our Lady Macbeth? Is he the person, after encouraging her to get to this point, he can’t live with some of the decisions that she makes?”

Of course, we see where those decisions leave both Mariah and Shades by season’s end. After leaving her–and turning on her–Shades would up arrested for murder, while Mariah was killed after being poisoned by her own daughter. A fitting end for the thug she became, though it begs the question of how Shades will react to her demise in a potential Season 3. After all, deep down, his feelings were real.

The second season of Marvel’s Luke Cage is currently streaming on Netflix. Don’t forget to check out our Season 1 refresher, deep dive on the history of the villainous Bushmaster, and the new season’s secret weapon.

Note: This story previously noted Monica Bellucci’s character in Spectre as the first time that 007’s love interest was older than the spy, which is incorrect.

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Loads of new games are headed to Switch this year and next, and we’ve got all the details in this week’s roundup. Outside of the forthcoming titles, you’ll want to make sure you take a peek at this week’s deals to snag some summer steals.

Starting out this week’s roundup on a high note, Pokemon’s latest free title, Pokemon Quest, is coming to iOS and Android soon. If you pre-order Dragon Ball FighterZ on Switch, you’ll get another game too–the rare SNES title Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden. But with the good news comes some bad: Madden NFL 19 and Wolfenstein: The New Order will not come to Switch any time soon. We got a good look at Xbox One and Switch’s crossplay feature with Minecraft, and Octopath Traveler will release as a “complete game.” There are also plenty of deals going on in the Nintendo Eshop for both Switch and 3DS, and loads elsewhere too: Best Buy and GameStop are also clearing out for the summer.

Forthcoming Releases

Pokemon Quest iOS, Android Release Date Announced

No Plans For Wolfenstein: The New Order On Nintendo Switch–Yet

Pre-ordering Dragon Ball FighterZ On Switch Gets You A Rare SNES Game

Madden 19 Won’t Release On Nintendo Switch, But There Is Hope For Next Year

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Roster Has All Previous Characters; Here’s Every One

Pokemon Switch Games Let’s Go Pikachu And Eevee Blend Old, New, And Real Life

Amid PS4 Cross-Play Complaints, Nintendo Touts Switch/Xbox One Support In New Trailer

Nintendo Switch’s Octopath Traveler: No Plans For DLC, Launching As A “Complete Game”

Nintendo Switch’s Captain Toad Treasure Tracker Replaces Super Mario 3D World Levels With Mario Odyssey Ones

Updates and DLC

New Fortnite Patch 4.4 Launches Soon [Update]

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Adds Free DLC

RWBY’s Yang Joins BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle As Free DLC

Betas and Events

SGDQ: The Awesome Speedrunning Event Returns This Weekend

Eshop

Nintendo Could Go Back To Live E3 Press Conferences In The Future

This New Nintendo Switch Accessory Lets You Play Your Games Vertically

E3 2018: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s GameCube Controllers For Switch Up For Pre-Order Now

New Nintendo Switch Games On Eshop: Mario Tennis, Captain Toad Demo, And More This Week

Deals

Some Great Nintendo Switch And 3DS Deals On The US Eshop

Killer Nintendo Switch Game Deals On The US Eshop–But Hurry

The Week’s Best Buy Game Sale In The US: PS4, Xbox One, And Switch Deals

The Best Game Deals Of The Week: Steam Sale, Switch, PS4, And Xbox One (US Only)

Some All-Time Low Game Prices At GameStop This Week: PS4, Xbox One, Switch Deals In The US

Industry

PS4 Cross-Play Restrictions Are All About Money, Says Ex-Sony Dev

Why Bethesda Turned Its Skyrim Very Special Edition Joke Into A Real Thing

Now that E3 has come and gone, we’ve got a ton to look forward to this fall and early next year. This week’s PS4 news is all about what’s coming soon, and what isn’t coming.

This week we got a peek at From Sotware’s Deracine, learned The Last of Us Part 2 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will have multiplayer, and saw Days Gone might not be as exciting as we had hoped. Nintendo and Xbox are showing off crossplay in Minecraft, but Sony has yet to join in on the fun; an ex-Sony developer says it’s because of money. Testuya Nomura sat with our team to discuss Kingdom Hearts 3 and living up to expectations, and Take-Two says single-player games still have a long life ahead of them. Make sure to play Killing Floor 2 for free this weekend on PS4, and catch up on all the summer deals down below.

Forthcoming Releases

Life Is Strange 2: Episode 1 Release Date Revealed

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Doesn’t Have Multiplayer

How Fallout 76 Aims To Stop People From Being Jerks

From Software’s New PS4 Exclusive, Deracine, Is Baffling

The Last Of Us 2 Has Multiplayer, Naughty Dog Confirms

Resident Evil 2 Remake Takes Gore To New Levels Of Gross

Just Cause 4’s Demo Showcases Its Extremely Lethal Weather

PS4 Exclusive Days Gone Appears Basic, And That’s Worrying

Remedy’s Control Taps Into The Dark Side Of Science Fiction

Bethesda’s Starfield Might Not Release On Current-Gen Consoles

Metro Exodus Makes Strides Into A More Challenging Open World

BioWare’s Anthem Shows An Exciting New Direction For The Studio

Battlefield 5’s Battle Royale Mode — DICE Explains How It Happened

Cyberpunk 2077 Is A More Ambitious Game Than You Might Realize

The Division 2 Focuses On The Endgame And Refines Its Core Combat

Dying Light 2 Features A Larger Open World With Greater Consequences

Spyro Reignited Trilogy’s First Gameplay Revealed, And It Looks Gorgeous

Madden 19’s Pre-Game Won’t Address NFL’s Controversial Kneeling Policy

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Director Talks RPG Inspirations And Story Details

Combat In Rage 2 Feels Like Doom, But Its Open World Remains A Mystery

In 2018’s Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, How Much Of A Villain Is Lara Croft?

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Is Not Part Of Soulsborne Series, From Software Says

Jump Force’s Death Note Characters Aren’t Playable, But Are Involved In The Story

Amid PS4 Cross-Play Complaints, Nintendo Touts Switch/Xbox One Support In New Trailer

Kingdom Hearts 3 Creator Discusses Dealing With Expectations And The Future Of The Series

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Goes Full RPG With Consequences And Choices, And It’s Better For It

Updates and DLC

New Fortnite Patch 4.4 Launches Soon [Update]

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Adds Free DLC

Blizzard Teases Overwatch’s New Hero Or Map

RWBY’s Yang Joins BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle As Free DLC

Call Of Duty: WW2’s New DLC, United Front, Releases Soon For PS4

For Honor’s Upcoming Breach Mode Is Intense And Surprisingly Strategic

Betas and Events

Beyond Good And Evil 2 Beta Launching By End Of Next Year

SGDQ: The Awesome Speedrunning Event Returns This Weekend

Fallout 76 Beta Launches On Xbox One First, Followed By PS4 And PC

Fortnite Season 4: Get Free Battle Pass Star With Week 1 Blockbuster Challenge

PlayStation Network

Free PS4 And Xbox One Game To Play This Weekend

Deals

Best PS4 Games On Sale This Week On PSN In The US

PS4 Flash Sale Has Lots Of Great Game Deals In The US

PS4’s New Line Of PlayStation Hits Offers Great Games For Cheap

The Week’s Best Buy Game Sale In The US: PS4, Xbox One, And Switch Deals

The Best Game Deals Of The Week: Steam Sale, Switch, PS4, And Xbox One (US Only)

Some All-Time Low Game Prices At GameStop This Week: PS4, Xbox One, Switch Deals In The US

Industry

Kojima Has A Big Fan On Remedy’s Sam Lake

Bethesda Has No Plans For Battle Royale, Pete Hines Says

GameStop Expects “Feeding Frenzy” For PS5 And Next Xbox

PS4 Cross-Play Restrictions Are All About Money, Says Ex-Sony Dev

PUBG Creator Isn’t Concerned With Other Games Doing Battle Royale

You Can Now Buy An Xbox One Gaming Set For Your American Girl Doll

Why Bethesda Turned Its Skyrim Very Special Edition Joke Into A Real Thing

From Software On Why Dark Souls, Bloodborne, And Sekiro Don’t Have Difficulty Options

Single-Player Games “Not Even Close” To Dead, Red Dead Redemption 2 Parent Company Says

This week’s Xbox One news is all about what’s to come. Although there’s an overwhelming amount of headlines on forthcoming releases, make sure you don’t miss out on this week’s deals and also the industry buzz.

This week, we got confimration the release date for the first episode of Life is Strange Season 2, learned more about E3’s biggest titles such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Cyberpunk 2077, Fallout 76, and Resident Evil 2’s remake. State of Decay 2 was May’s best selling game, and Bioware’s Anthem is showing a promising new direction. Killing Floor 2 is free to play this weekend on Xbox One, and Modern Warfare 3 is now part of the backwards compatibility library.

Forthcoming Releases

Halo Infinite: Everything We Know After E3 2018

Life Is Strange 2: Episode 1 Release Date Revealed

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Doesn’t Have Multiplayer

How Fallout 76 Aims To Stop People From Being Jerks

State Of Decay 2 Was The Best-Selling Game In May 2018

Resident Evil 2 Remake Takes Gore To New Levels Of Gross

Just Cause 4’s Demo Showcases Its Extremely Lethal Weather

Remedy’s Control Taps Into The Dark Side Of Science Fiction

Bethesda’s Starfield Might Not Release On Current-Gen Consoles

Metro Exodus Makes Strides Into A More Challenging Open World

BioWare’s Anthem Shows An Exciting New Direction For The Studio

Battlefield 5’s Battle Royale Mode — DICE Explains How It Happened

Cyberpunk 2077 Is A More Ambitious Game Than You Might Realize

The Division 2 Focuses On The Endgame And Refines Its Core Combat

Dying Light 2 Features A Larger Open World With Greater Consequences

Spyro Reignited Trilogy’s First Gameplay Revealed, And It Looks Gorgeous

Madden 19’s Pre-Game Won’t Address NFL’s Controversial Kneeling Policy

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Director Talks RPG Inspirations And Story Details

Combat In Rage 2 Feels Like Doom, But Its Open World Remains A Mystery

In 2018’s Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, How Much Of A Villain Is Lara Croft?

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Is Not Part Of Soulsborne Series, From Software Says

Forza Horizon 4 Includes 450-Plus Cars And Cross-Play Between Xbox One And PC

Jump Force’s Death Note Characters Aren’t Playable, But Are Involved In The Story

Amid PS4 Cross-Play Complaints, Nintendo Touts Switch/Xbox One Support In New Trailer

Kingdom Hearts 3 Creator Discusses Dealing With Expectations And The Future Of The Series

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Goes Full RPG With Consequences And Choices, And It’s Better For It

Updates and DLC

New Fortnite Patch 4.4 Launches Soon [Update]

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Adds Free DLC

Blizzard Teases Overwatch’s New Hero Or Map

Call Of Duty: WW2’s New DLC, United Front, Releases Soon For PS4

For Honor’s Upcoming Breach Mode Is Intense And Surprisingly Strategic

Betas and Events

Beyond Good And Evil 2 Beta Launching By End Of Next Year

SGDQ: The Awesome Speedrunning Event Returns This Weekend

Fallout 76 Beta Launches On Xbox One First, Followed By PS4 And PC

Fortnite Season 4: Get Free Battle Pass Star With Week 1 Blockbuster Challenge

Xbox Live

Free PS4 And Xbox One Game To Play This Weekend

Another Xbox One Backwards Compatibility Game Now Out (And It’s On Sale)

Deals

Great Deal On An Xbox One In The US

Xbox One: Best Game Deals On Xbox Store Right Now

The Week’s Best Buy Game Sale In The US: PS4, Xbox One, And Switch Deals

The Best Game Deals Of The Week: Steam Sale, Switch, PS4, And Xbox One (US Only)

Some All-Time Low Game Prices At GameStop This Week: PS4, Xbox One, Switch Deals In The US

Industry

Kojima Has A Big Fan On Remedy’s Sam Lake

Bethesda Has No Plans For Battle Royale, Pete Hines Says

GameStop Expects “Feeding Frenzy” For PS5 And Next Xbox

PS4 Cross-Play Restrictions Are All About Money, Says Ex-Sony Dev

PUBG Creator Isn’t Concerned With Other Games Doing Battle Royale

You Can Now Buy An Xbox One Gaming Set For Your American Girl Doll

Why Bethesda Turned Its Skyrim Very Special Edition Joke Into A Real Thing

From Software On Why Dark Souls, Bloodborne, And Sekiro Don’t Have Difficulty Options

Single-Player Games “Not Even Close” To Dead, Red Dead Redemption 2 Parent Company Says