Month: October 2020

Disney+ Updates Disclaimers About Negative Depictions, Linking To “Stories Matter” Site

When Disney+ launched, several movies carried a disclaimer admitting to outdated depictions of certain cultures and people, with many of the company’s older films featuring content that has not held up well in 2020. Now, the advisory messages have been updated, and Disney has established a new website to better address this material.

As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, the disclaimers before movies like Peter Pan, The Aristocats, Dumbo, and Swiss Family Robinson now point towards Disney’s “Stories Matter” page, which was created in collaboration with a third-party advisory council. The site directly addresses some of the issues in these films.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, we are in the process of reviewing our library and adding advisories to content that includes negative depictions or mistreatment of people or cultures,” the page says. “Rather than removing this content, we see an opportunity to spark conversation and open dialogue on history that affects us all. We also want to acknowledge that some communities have been erased or forgotten altogether, and we’re committed to giving voice to their stories as well.”

The page goes into detail about what, specifically, is wrong with these films, with the examples on the page right now focusing on racist depictions within these four films.

Here’s the full disclaimer leading into the link:

“This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.

Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.”

In the past, Disney+ has altered and edited some content on its service–most notably, covering up a butt in Splash with weird CGI hair. Pixar’s next film, Soul, will release onto Disney+ on Christmas day.

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GTA 5 Online Is Tripling Power Play Rewards This Week

Grand Theft Auto V Online has announced this week’s line-up of bonuses and discounts, and if you want to get a big boost in your RP and GTA$, there are a few playstyles you should focus on this week. The big one is Power Play, which has triple rewards all week.

First up, simply logging in this week will earn you a special “Zit” tee, if you want to serve as a walking billboard for the in-game tech company. It’s not the nicest shirt, but hey–it’s free.

Log in to claim a free shirt.
Log in to claim a free shirt.

This mode, which is a team deathmatch-style mode with wilder weapons and power-ups, will triple all rewards, and it’s pretty fun to boot. The End to End Time Trial and Cypress Flats RC Time Trial will also pay out triple this week, and you could potentially earn over GTA$600k if you can hit par on both of them.

Special Cargo sale missions, meanwhile, are paying out double. If you’re a CEO with contraband to offload, now’s a good time to do so. Large Special Cargo Warehouses are also discounted, so it’s a good week to move some inventory around.

You can also potentially win an Ocelot XA-21 at the Lucky Wheel this week, so step into the Diamond Casino & Resort to have a spin. The list of discounted vehicles is short this week–you can buy a cheaper Ocelot Locust (40% off), Ubermacht SC1 (40% off), and the Emperor ETR1 (30% off).

Twitch Prime users also get a list of benefits, as usual, this week. This week there’s two big freebies and some heavy discounts:

  • The Vespucci Canals Nightclub location for free
  • 80% off the P-45 Nokota
  • 80% off the FH-1 Hunter
  • Free GTA$200k

If you haven’t played GTA Online yet during October 2020 on PS4, make sure you do so–everyone can claim a bonus GTA$1 million each month. This is all leading up to the release of the PS5/Xbox Series X version of the game.

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Kingdom Hearts: Melody Of Memory Demo Available Ahead Of Release Next Month

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a musical spin-off from the main Kingdom Hearts series, and it’s due for release on November 13 for Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. Now, ahead of that date, a demo has been released for the game–so you can check it out early and see if it’s to your taste.

This isn’t a traditional Kingdom Hearts experience, and instead plays closer to something like Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. It’ll feature plenty of Disney songs and characters–the full game will include over 140 songs.

The demo is quite a bit smaller, as you’d expect–it has four field battle music stages and two co-op stages, for a total of six songs. It’s free to download.

Your progress won’t carry over, but you can see if this blend of the Kingdom Hearts universe with rhythm gameplay is to your liking. The demo is available on Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.

This will be the first Kingdom Hearts title on Switch, but don’t expect the rest of the RPG series to follow–Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura has said that it’s unlikely.

The most recent game in the main series, Kingdom Hearts 3, came out in early 2019. There’s a new mobile game on the way, called Dark Road, which was recently delayed.

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Halo MCC Update Adds Foundation For Cross-Gen Play With Series X/S

A new patch for Halo: The Master Chief Collection landed this week, and it lays the foundation for cross-generation multiplayer support for Xbox Series X and S when those consoles release in November.

Version 1.1871.0.0 is available now on Xbox One and PC. The update makes “improvements to cross-generation play in advance of the upcoming launch of Xbox Series X and Series S hardware.”

This is seemingly the first confirmation that Halo: MCC will have cross-gen support, but it’s not much of a surprise given a game like MCC with six different games and numerous modes and playlists needs a big player base to work well. If there was no cross-gen support, it would seemingly be difficult to find matches for Series X and S players with the consoles having just released and not having a built-in audience yet.

MCC is also getting cross-play support between Xbox One and PC, but this feature is not live yet.

The new update also introduces some “stability updates,” while some changes to customization and Halo 3 weapon skin names have been implemented as well. You can see the full patch notes below.

In terms of file size, the update is 4.9 GB on Xbox One and 2.62 GB for the Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass for PC. The Steam edition sees the smallest update size overall, at just 50.7 MB.

Halo: MCC October 14 Patch Notes:

Install Size

Xbox

  • Max size of 4.9 GB

Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass for PC (Xbox App)

  • Max size of 2.62 GB

Steam

  • Max size of 50.7 MB

Resolved Issues

Global

Gameplay

  • Stability updates were made to improve the player experience
  • Made improvements to cross-generation play in advance of the upcoming launch of Xbox Series X and Series S hardware

User Interface (UI)

  • Added focus animation to the root Customization Menu
  • Capitalized Halo 3 weapon skin names to align with the other menu options

https://support.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050949651

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First Look At Xbox Series X Boot Up And UI

We finally got a chance to experience the UI for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S and like Microsoft said, it looks a lot like the Xbox One’s current UI. If you’re already in the Xbox ecosystem, the UI for Series X/S should look very familiar to you.

In the video above, Michael Higham shows off the Xbox Series X’s speed–booting the console up, navigating through the UI, and jumping into a game and playing around when he should be working (jk, Michael, we love you and appreciate you handling all these Xbox previews).

All in all, the whole process is pretty seamless and there’s very little waiting time involved. So when the Xbox Series X and Series S are here and we all have the chance to check them out, we shouldn’t have to wait too long between turning the console on and jumping into a game.

Speaking of, quite a few games will be available to play on Xbox Series X/S at launch. As Microsoft’s next-gen consoles support backwards compatibility, you’ll have access to select titles in your back catalog of Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Xbox games. Plus, there’s all the titles available on Xbox Game Pass. If you’re looking for something new, we’ve rounded up all of the games launching alongside or close to the Xbox Series X/S release date of November 10.

Pokemon Go Ghost Event Announced, Introduces Mega Gengar

Niantic has announced another new event for Pokemon Go. Ahead of Halloween, the studio is holding a new kind of “Catch Mastery” event on October 25, and it fittingly revolves around Ghost Pokemon.

From 8 AM to 10 PM local time that day, the Ghost-type Pokemon Drifloon will appear in the wild much more frequently than normal, and you’ll have a chance to catch a Shiny version. On top of that, Niantic will offer special Timed Research and Field Research tasks during the event. Complete these and you’ll receive various rewards, including encounters with other Ghost-type Pokemon as well as Gengar Mega Energy, making this your first chance to Mega Evolve Gengar in the game.

There will be one more bonus to take advantage of during the Catch Mastery event. Each time you catch a Pokemon with a Nice, Great, Excellent, or curveball throw, you’ll be rewarded with extra XP. You can read more details about the event on the Pokemon Go website.

That isn’t the only new event Niantic announced for Pokemon Go recently. The studio is also teaming up with GrubHub for a Special Weekend event next month. GrubHub+ members can get an exclusive in-game ticket for the event, which takes place on November 2 and features increased spawns of certain Pokemon. As part of the event, Niantic will also offer exclusive Timed Research tasks that will reward you with Charizard Mega Energy, among other prizes.

Until then, another Team Go Rocket event is underway right now, and it introduces new “strange eggs” to the game. The Legendary Pokemon Origin Forme Giratina is also currently appearing in Raids, while October’s Community Day takes place this Saturday, October 17.

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Neve Campbell Shares Her Excitement For Scream 5

While movie theaters and the movie-going experience overall have both been on increasingly shaky ground this year, the horror genre has been gaining ground and making a strong return. Against this backdrop, Scream 5 has been becoming increasingly into focus with early details about what to expect from the upcoming entry for the slasher series that dates all the way back to 1996. Actor Neve Campbell, who has been a part of the franchise since it first started, made a recent appearance to share her excitement for what’s ahead on CBS’ The Talk–you can see the full clip below.

During the brief segment, Campbell shares how she was initially reluctant to return to Scream, and her concerns over carrying on with the movies after the prolific and iconic horror filmmaker Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street) who originated them died in 2015.

“I had been apprehensive because our incredible director Wes Craven passed away and I wasn’t sure about doing a film without him,” said Campbell. “But the new directors came to me with this beautiful letter, saying they’ve become directors and love film because of these films and because of Wes. And they really want to be true to his story and his journey with these films. So, I was really happy to hear that… you guys, I’m 47, and I’m going to be covered in blood!”

Also returning for the new Scream outing will be series stalwarts and original cast members Courteney Cox (Friends) and David Arquette (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The aforementioned directors praised by Campbell are Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Devil’s Due) and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not).

Scream 5 is due to hit theaters on January 14, 2022, and while we don’t know too much about the plot, you can read everything that we know so far here.

PlayStation Store Will Stop Selling PS3, PSP, and Vita Games Through Web and Mobile

Update:

In an email sent out to PlayStation account holders, Sony confirmed that a brand new web and mobile PS Store experience is coming; and confirmed the changes revealed in the leaked email.

Although originally reported as changes coming into effect on the web version fo the PS Store starting on October 19, Sony says instead these changes will take effect from October 21 – 26 on web, and October 28 on mobile.

As per the leaked email, players will be unable to purchase PlayStation 3 games, PSP games, PlayStation Vita games, Apps, Themes, and Avatars from the web and mobile version the PlayStation Store.

The Wishlist feature is also being removed.

You’ll still be able to purchase PS3, PSP, and Vita games directly from the PS Store app on a PS3, PSP, or Vita. And PS4 apps, themes, and avatars can still be downloaded from the same console.

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Original Story: The PlayStation Store experience is about to receive an overhaul soon as Sony makes plans to limit what’s available to purchase on the web and mobile versions of its digital store.

In an email sent to PlayStation development partners — which IGN has independently verified — Sony says that starting on October 19 for web and October 28 for mobile, certain digital products will no longer be available for purchase.

This includes:

  • PlayStation 3 games and add-ons
  • PSP games and add-ons
  • PlayStation Vita games and add-ons
  • Apps
  • Themes
  • Avatars

 

Sony is also doing away with the “Your Wishlist” feature and any games currently on the wishlist will be removed.

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Going forward, customers will still be able to purchase PS3, PSP, and Vita titles from the PlayStation store but only directly from the system. So you’ll need a PS3 or Vita to purchase any of the previous-gen titles. And you’ll need a PS4 to purchase apps, themes, and avatars.

Sony assured its partners that customers will keep content from older-gen systems they’ve previously purchased, as well as any existing PS4 apps, themes, and avatars.

Whether this move comes ahead of a next-gen overhaul, or something else, IGN has reached out to Sony for further clarification. Meanwhile, check out our PS5 guide for the latest info on Sony’s next-gen plans.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

The Walking Dead: Where To Watch And Stream The AMC Series And Its Spin-offs

There is a lot of The Walking Dead in the world. The main AMC series is currently in Season 10, the spin-off Fear the Walking Dead is in Season 6, and there is a brand-new companion show The Walking Dead: World Beyond currently airing. But if you’re someone who is just getting into the show for the first time, how can you catch up? Luckily, most of The Walking Dead is available to watch online.

What’s more, if you don’t have cable, there are ways to keep up with all these shows as they air, provided you don’t mind throwing down some cash on a few streaming services. Things do get a little bit tricky, as all The Walking Dead shows aren’t just on one of the big streaming platforms. Here is how to watch them all.

The Walking Dead

If you’re looking to catch up on nine seasons of the flagship series, which mostly features Rick Grimes and company killing walkers, running a town, and battling crazed survivors (until Rick is written off the show, that is), then the best place to watch old episodes of the show is on Netflix. Seasons 1-9 of The Walking Dead are available on the streaming service.

If you don’t have a Netflix subscription–which at this point seems odd–you can still watch random episodes of the show on Pluto, the free live streaming and on-demand service. Sadly, with Pluto, you can’t watch on demand, like you can with a lot of other programming on that platform. There is a channel called Stories By AMC, and it plays a lot of The Walking Dead on it, which is your only option there.

Additionally, the current season of the series can be watched on the AMC website–with a boatload of commercials–or ad-free on AMC+. The new service lets you watch all of AMC’s programming, ad-free, for $9 a month. Both new and old seasons are available on the site.

Fear The Walking Dead

While Season 6 is airing on AMC currently, featuring a rollercoaster of a ride with Morgan, catching up on the show is super-simple if you’re new. Seasons 1-5 are all available on Hulu, so getting up-to-date on a show that isn’t tied to a comic book–so you don’t really know what’s coming–is easy.

New episodes are available on AMC and full seasons on AMC+.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

AMC’s latest series The Walking Dead: World Beyond just started airing on the network. Currently, it is not on Hulu, Netflix, or any other name-brand streaming service. However, you can catch the show on AMC’s website, but like mentioned above, you’ll be sitting through a lot of commercials, so you may just want to pony up for AMC+ if you’re not going to watch it live.

New episodes are available on AMC and AMC+.

Other options

Of course, if you have live TV that has AMC in the package, you may be able to stream on demand through that service. The cheapest live TV service that offers this–as well as the ability to watch all three Walking Dead shows–is Philo. It’s $20 a month for the service, which gives you access to more than 60 live TV channels and on demand.

Or you could just go the route of purchasing entire seasons or single episodes of the the shows. Full seasons of all three AMC zombie shows are available for purchase on Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Amazon, and more digital retailers.

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