Month: July 2018

EA’s Origin Access Premier is rolling out starting today, adding a higher tier to its subscription service. The upgraded version of Origin Access will give you unlimited access to new releases on PC, as well as early access five days before launch.

The basic tier gives access to the Vault of 100+ older EA and third-party games along with a 10% discount on purchases. Premier includes all that, along with new games once they launch. When EA teased the announcement, it also promised its big-budget shooter Anthem will be included when it launches next year. Notably, the upcoming games included with the subscription are the special editions: Madden 19 Hall of Fame, FIFA 19 Ultimate, Battlefield 5 Deluxe, and Anthem: Legion of Dawn Edition.

It costs $15 / £15 per month or $100 / £90 per year, as compared to the basic tier’s $5 / £4 and $30 / £20 charges, respectively. Subscribing now gets you in before Madden drops on August 10, and altogether subscribing through the end of the year would get you EA’s entire slate for just over the cost of one game. Of course, if you let the subscription lapse, the games go too.

This makes EA’s own subscription service similar to the Xbox Game Pass, which offers a large backlog of older games along with all new first-party games from Microsoft as they release. That service similarly costs $10 per month.

This story has been updated and corrected.

As part of GTA Online: After Hours, DJ Solomun released a music video which is entirely shot in Grand Theft Auto 5. It marks the first time a real-world artist has debuted new music through their own story within the GTA universe.

The video showcases a day in Solomun’s GTA life, delivering packages and vehicles across Los Santos while trying to not get caught up in the everyday mayhem that plagues the city. The drama plays out over Solomun’s newest EP, “Customer is King.”

After Hours adds several new updates to GTA Online, the most noticeable of which is a feature that allows you to manage your own nightclub. You complete missions to keep your club running, whether that’s securing bar and security staff or promoting your venue. You also have to hire the right DJ, and you have the option of choosing amongst real-world artists who perform their music within the game. After Hours added Solomun first. Tale of Us comes to GTA Online on July 31, Dixon on August 7, and The Black Madonna on August 14.

After Hours also allows players to compete in Business Battles, where everyone fights to claim items that improve their business ventures. The update adds seven new vehicles as well.

GTAV is the gift that keeps on giving. Rockstar’s game has remained at or near the top of different sales charts for years, a constant reminder that people are still buying the game five years after its release. In our Grand Theft Auto 5 review, we gave the game a 9/10.

Amazon has hired a pair of writers for its upcoming and very expensive Lord of the Rings prequel TV show. The company is bringing on JD Payne and Patrick McKay to write the show. The pair have no previous TV writing credits, but as EW points out, neither did Game of Thrones TV show writers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. That seemed to work out pretty OK.

Payne and McKay said in a statement that they are “thrilled” to be working on the Lord of the Rings show for Amazon. “We feel like Frodo, setting out from the Shire, with a great responsibility in our care–it is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime.”

They added: “The rich world that J.R.R. Tolkien created is filled with majesty and heart, wisdom and complexity. We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Amazon to bring it to life anew.”

Payne and McKay have been writing partners since high school when they were on the debate team together. In addition to the Lord of the Rings show, they are writing the upcoming Star Trek 4 and the new Jungle Cruise movie for Disney.

The new Amazon Lord of the Rings show is based on Tolkien’s acclaimed and much-loved novels. Amazon is committed to multiple seasons of the show, which will be produced in partnership with the Tolkien Estate, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema.

Little is known about the story for Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show, but it’s been confirmed that it’s set in Middle-earth and will “explore new storylines” in the time before The Fellowship of the Ring.

No casting announcements have been made yet, but those details could come soon. Given the timeline, you shouldn’t expect Frodo or Sam to show up, but according to a report, one of the storylines in Season 1 could involve a young Aragorn. Given his age, it’s also possible that Gandalf could show up.

Per the supposed terms of an agreement between Amazon and Lord of the Rings rights-holders, the show must enter production within two years, so Amazon is understandably eager to get things going. Amazon is reportedly spending $1 billion to produce the Lord of the Rings TV show, so it is no small undertaking.

It’s just a few short days until August, so New Releases is taking a look at some of the heavy hitters launching in the new month. If you’re aiming to game on the go, WarioWare Gold has you covered with its huge collection of microgames, but if you’d rather stay home and spend hours in an MMO, then you can check out World of Warcraft‘s latest expansion, Battle for Azeroth. Japanophiles can enjoy re-releases of cult classics Shenmue 1 and 2 and the stylish open-world of Yakuza Kiwami 2. And for the sports fans, Madden NFL 19 will help you get hyped for the preseason.

WarioWare Gold — August 3

Available on: 3DS

The latest entry in the WarioWare series brings together microgames from the entire run, for a total of 300 crazy quickfire games. It’s also the first one to feature full voice acting, just in case you wanted Wario’s voice to haunt your dreams. If you’ve never played a WarioWare game, or if you want to give it a try right now, you can grab the demo on the 3DS Eshop.

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Madden NFL 19 — August 10

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Another year, another Madden. The newest game sports “real player motion,” which will help your players maneuver much more realistically across the field. It’s also the first one to feature touchdown dances in some time, as the practice was only recently made legal in the NFL again. Longshot story mode is back, and Ultimate Team is getting new 3-on-3 matches and a leaderboard with rewards.

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World of Warcraft – Battle for Azeroth — August 14

Available on: PC

As you’d expect, WoW’s latest expansion is a big one. Battle for Azeroth adds two whole continents and more uncharted islands to explore, along with plenty of new new quests, raids, and dungeons. The Horde and the Alliance each get four new playable races, and you’ll be able to take those characters to a new level cap of 120. The questline has already kicked off in the base game if you want to get a head start.

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Shenmue 1 & 2 — August 21

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

The Sega Dreamcast classics are coming back. Even though these aren’t remasters or HD remakes, they do come with a slew of new features: modern and classic controls, an updated UI, scalable resolution, and both English and Japanese voiceovers. This double pack should make for a great appetizer before Shenmue 3 arrives next year.

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Yakuza Kiwami 2 — August 28

Available on: PS4

Speaking of re-releases, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a full-on remake of the original Yakuza 2, but with new gameplay enhancements and cutscenes that iron out the wrinkly parts of the story. There’s even a whole new scenario starring secondary protagonist Goro Majima. If you can’t wait until the end of the month to dive into the criminal underworld, you can also look into the PC port of Yakuza 0, coming August 1.

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