Month: April 2021

Next Wave Of Xbox Game Pass Titles For April 2021 Revealed

Microsoft has announced the next wave of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in April, while the company has also revealed which games are leaving. On top of that, six more Game Pass titles now have touch controls for Xbox Cloud Gaming. The first run of Xbox Game Pass titles for April included GTA V, Zombie Army 4, and NHL 21, among others.

Starting with the new additions to Xbox Game Pass, MLB The Show 21 is out now across console and the cloud. This is the first entry in the series to come to Xbox.

Later this week, the independent game Phogs! releases on Game Pass for PC on April 22. This puzzle-adventure game has players controlling a pair of dogs who are connected by their stretchy stomach.

On April 28, the dinosaur game Second Extinction comes to Game Pass on console, PC, and the cloud. This is an in-development game that’s available through the Game Preview program. On April 29, the original Destroy All Humans! comes to Game Pass for console, PC, and the cloud, while Fable III and Fable Anniversary come to Game Pass’ cloud offering on April 30.

Xbox Game Pass April Titles

April 20

  • MLB The Show (console, cloud)

April 22

  • Phogs! (PC)

April 28

  • Second Extinction (console, PC, cloud)

April 29

  • Destroy All Humans! (console, PC, cloud)

April 30

  • Fable III (cloud)
  • Fable Anniversary (cloud)
No Caption Provided

Games that are leaving the Game Pass library on April 30 include Endless Legend (PC), For the King (console, PC, cloud), Fractured Minds (console, cloud), Levelhead (console, PC, cloud), Moving Out (console, PC, cloud), and Thumper (PC).

Leaving Xbox Game Pass On April 30

  • Endless Legend (PC)
  • For the King (console, PC, cloud)
  • Fractured Minds (console, cloud)
  • Levelhead (console, PC, cloud)
  • Moving Out (console, PC, cloud)
  • Thumper (PC)

The new touch-control games for Game Pass include Banjo-Kazooie, Battle Chasers: Nightwar, Killer Queen Black, Overcooked 2, Wreckfest, and Double Dragon Neon. These add on to the 50+ titles that were already playable with touch controls for streaming.

For more games to play on Xbox, check out our guides to the best Xbox One games of all time and the best Xbox Series X games available so far. Plus, Game Pass subscribers should check out the best games available with Xbox Game Pass right now.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

Rockstar Makes DLC For Max Payne 3 And L.A. Noire Free On PC Only

A long list of DLC for two of Rockstar’s games, Max Payne 3 and L.A. Noire, is now free to anyone that owns the games on PC.

Title updates for both Max Payne 3 and L.A. Noire reveal the DLC players can expect to find in-game the next time they boot up either title. The content arrived after both games, along with some other Rockstar titles, were removed from Steam, as spotted by PC Gamer. These updates also removed support for 32-bit operating systems, although that shouldn’t be a problem for your average PC user. 32-bit operating systems are extremely rare to find on modern-day computers, mainly because they were in fashion when 32-bit processors were, before 2001.

While it’s nice to get some free content for a couple of great Rockstar games, there aren’t many players around to actually appreciate it. According to Steamcharts, Max Payne 3’s peak player count over the past 30 days is 768, with an average of just 300. L.A. Noire is only slightly more populated, reaching a peak of 842 players and averaging at 323 over the same time period.

That low player count shouldn’t impact anyone trying to enjoy the new free content for L.A. Noire, but Max Payne 3 is another story. The DLC for the former is all single-player focused, while extra content for the latter is almost exclusively for the game’s multiplayer. With Max Payne 3’s low player count, it may be hard for anyone hopping back into the game to really try out all of its free content.

Here is the full list of DLC PC players have received for free in Max Payne 3:

  • Max Payne 3: Deathmatch Made in Heaven Pack
  • Max Payne 3: Painful Memories Pack
  • Max Payne 3: Hostage Negotiation Pack
  • Max Payne 3: Local Justice Pack
  • Max Payne 3: Silent Killer Loadout Pack
  • Max Payne 3: Cemetery Map
  • Max Payne 3: Special Edition Pack
  • Max Payne 3: Deadly Force Burst
  • Max Payne 3: Pill Bottle Item
  • Max Payne 3: Classic Max Payne Character

And the free DLC for L.A. Noire:

  • The Broderick Detective Suit
  • The Sharpshooter Detective Suit
  • The Badge Pursuit Challenge & Button Man Suit
  • “The Naked City” Vice Case
  • “A Slip of the Tongue” Traffic Case
  • “Nicholson Electroplating” Arson Case
  • “Reefer Madness” Vice Case
  • “The Consul’s Car” Traffic Case

Borderlands Movie’s Haley Bennet Shares First Look At The Script

Actress Haley Bennett (The Devil All the Time, Hillbilly Elegy), who plays an unspecified role in the upcoming Borderlands movie, has shared what looks to be a first look at the video game movie’s script. Posting on Instagram, Bennett shared a photo of her script, which appears to be a draft dated March 31, 2021.

The image also reveals that the Borderlands film script has gone through a number of revisions, which is not uncommon. It says the original screenplay was written by Oren Uziel (The Cloverfield Paradox), based on Gearbox’s video game. Craig Mazin, who wrote the Hangover sequels and HBO’s Chernobyl, conducted the first revision. Tony Rettenmaier (Drone) and Juel Taylor (Creed II) then added more revisions. Finally, director Eli Roth appears to have had a hand in writing the Borderlands movie, too, as he is listed as the person who wrote the current revisions.

In Bennet’s picture you can almost see some of the script on the page behind the cover, but it’s too fuzzy to make out what any of the lines might be.

Bennet’s role in the Borderlands movie remains unknown at this stage. IGN reported that Bennet’s character will play a “key” role in the character Lilith’s past. Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett will play Lilith in the movie.

The Borderlands movie has assembled a big cast of huge names including Jack Black as Claptrap, Kevin Hart as Roland, and Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, in addition to Blanchett as Lilith. Ariana Greenblatt, who played young Gamora in Avengers: Endgame, will play Tiny Tina. Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty) is lined up to play the villainous Atlas, while Janina Gavankar has been tapped to play Commander Knox.

Borderlands Movie Cast

  • Cate Blanchett — Lilith
  • Jamie Lee Curtis — Tannis
  • Edgar Ramirez — Atlas
  • Jack Black — Claptrap
  • Kevin Hart — Roland
  • Ariana Greenblatt — Tiny Tina
  • Florian Munteanu — Kreig
  • Janina Gavankar — Commander Knoxx
  • Olivier Richters — Krom
  • Haley Bennett — Unannounced new character

Recently, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford clarified that there is a distinction between what he called the Borderlands Cinematic Universe and the Borderlands Video Game Universe.

“We are authentic to characters, tone and style, but allow for independent storylines. The mediums are not the same, so the content should not be bound to the same rules,” he said.

Pitchford also touched on the subject of whether or not the Borderlands movie is canon. It is canon, but only to the cinematic universe of Borderlands, he clarified.

“The movie is canon to the cinematic universe. The games are canon to the video game universe. There are parallels between them, but also differences. It’s okay. Consider how Marvel has handled movies versus comic books for reference if this is hard for you to understand,” he said on Twitter.

Filming on the Borderlands movie is expected to begin soon in Budapest, if it hasn’t already.

As for the Borderlands game series, the Borderlands 3 Director’s Cut released on April 8 following a delay related to the terrible storms in the studio’s home state of Texas.

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Death Stranding Gets An Official Big And Blue PC Case

Online retailer Tsukumo, Fractal Design, and Kojima Productions have joined forces to produce an official Death Stranding PC case. Much like the game’s broader philosophical themes, chances are that you simply won’t get it as this case is exclusive to the Japanese retailer and priced at $248 with shipping included.

If you are prepared to shell out, the trailer below will show you what you can expect. This happens to be a PC case that is designed to evoke the look and feel of the cargo that Death Stranding’s protagonist Sam Porter Bridges carried around hostile terrain, complete with a blue, red, and yellow color scheme.

On a technical level, the case can house up to a regular ATX motherboard, has two dedicated mounts for 3.5″ and 2.5″ hard drives, and its front interface has space for four USB ports.

Death Stranding PC case
Death Stranding PC case

Gallery

Death Stranding arrived on PC back in July last year, where it did some solid business. Publisher 505 Games’ parent organization Digital Bros shared the game’s revenue figures earlier this month, and reported that for the year ending December 31, 2020, Death Stranding managed to earn more than $27 million. That impressive sum put it ahead of other major AAA games like Control and Ghostrunner for the year.

If the PC case above isn’t to your tastes, perhaps the one being given away by Xbox France to promote the latest world update for Microsoft Flight Simulator will be more to your liking. Featuring some beefy specs, what makes this case stand out is that it’ll resemble a jet turbine, complete with a massive fan and a polished metal frame.

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Netflix’s Influencer Reality Show “Byron Baes” Draws Controversy In Australia

Netflix is planning a new influencer reality TV show in Australia, but residents and businesses in the area are revolting and trying to stop the production from coming to town.

The show is called “Byron Baes,” and it’s set in the oceanside community of New South Wales’ Byron Bay, a popular beach community where Chris Hemsworth has a home. It’s also the site of the annual Byron Bay Blues Festival and it’s generally known to be a relatively quiet place that serves as an escape when people want to get out of the city and relax.

Netflix has proposed filming a reality show there and locals aren’t having it. According to The Hollywood Reporter, about 100 surfers went into the water on Tuesday to form a “cancel” symbol to protest the series. Some local businesses have refused to sign filming permits, such as the Byron Bay General Store.

“They’re proposing to drag our name through the mud and make millions of dollars without offering anything back to the community and completely misrepresenting who we are and it’s totally wrong,” store operator Ben Gordon said. “There was no consultation whatsoever. They just came in unannounced.”

For its part, Netflix said Byron Baes is trying to be an “authentic and honest” shows that “embraces the drama, heartbreak, and conflict that makes for such entertaining viewing.”

“Our goal is to lift the curtain on influencer culture to understand the motivation, the desire, and the pain behind this very human need to be loved,” a spokesperson said.

“The reason behind choosing Byron Bay as a location was driven by the area’s unique attributes as a melting pot of entrepreneurialism, lifestyle and health practices, and the sometimes uneasy coming together of the traditional ‘old Byron’ and the alternative ‘new,’ all of which we’ll address in the series.”

Byron Bay has successfully kept its small-town stature in recent years, blocking proposals from the likes of McDonald’s and KFC to open restaurants there.

Lemnis Gate Confirms Next-Gen Versions, Release Window

Lemnis Gate and its unique, turn-based take on the FPS genre will launch later this year, after first being announced at last year’s Gamescom. Ratloop Games Canada, the indie studio behind Lemnis Gate, has now confirmed that the game will also be released for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, as well as locking in a fast-approaching release window of summer 2021.

Lemnis Gate is a new take on the competitive FPS, with a unique approach that aims to mix the best of frenetic shooters and real-time strategy. The game takes place in a 25-second time loop, with each player taking turns to deploy operatives into the loop, trying to complete objectives and retroactively sabotage the other player’s previously deployed characters. The formula allows for some complex strategies, as GameSpot’s Phil Hornshaw learned in a recent hands-on session.

The game will launch with two game modes, 1v1 and 2v2, with both modes available in either online or local multiplayer. There are seven different operatives players can deploy, and with all of them unlocked from the start, you won’t need to grind just to be competitive with other players.

Lemnis Gate is due to release soon, with a release window of summer 2021 confirmed this week. As well as the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, Lemnis Gate will also release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Now Playing: Lemnis Gate Official Trailer | Gamescom 2020

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Matthew McConaughey Leads Latest Poll For Preferred Texas Governor

Despite not having officially announced a run for the position of Texas governor, actor Matthew McConaughey has outpolled the sitting governor Greg Abbot. The Texas born-and-raised actor has teased a potential run for governor, and seems to have the support of Texas voters, Entertainment Weekly reports.

The poll, which surveyed 1126 registered voters in Texas, was released Sunday by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas. 45% of those polled said they would vote for potential celebrity candidate Matthew McConaughey, where 33% preferred incumbent Greg Abbott, and another 22% said they would rather vote for someone else.

McConaughey had more support from Democratic voters, with 66% of them preferring him to the other options, while only 30% of Republican voters showed support for the actor. McConaughey has described himself as a centrist, and in the past has criticized both Democrats and Republicans, so it’s unclear how an actual campaign from the actor would go.

“Right now, where politics has gone, where the great divide not only in Texas but in the United States, the left thinks the right’s racist and the right thinks the left’s Socialist. Well, that ain’t true.” McConaughey said in an explanation of his politics in an interview with the Austin American-Statesman. “Then you go, well, the left is for empathy, compassion and solidarity; well the right’s for resilience and work ethic and responsibility. I’m like, I like all six of those. Those are values that our mamas taught us.”

If McConaughey does decide to run for governor, he could be the latest in a long line of celebrity governors that includes Ronald Reagan, “Governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jesse Ventura. McConaughey still hasn’t decided whether it’s the right path for him, however, saying “I’m ready to step into a leadership position in this next chapter of my life, but I don’t know that that’s in politics.”

Hotel Transylvania Is Being Brought To Life In A Theme Park In Russia

After three years of work, Moscow’s Dream Island theme park is opening its Hotel Transylvania attraction for the first time, in anticipation of the upcoming fourth movie in the series, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. The attraction will see guests welcomed inside the titular Hotel Transylvania, where they will be guided through multiple locations by Dracula himself.

Dream Island in Moscow is Europe’s largest indoor theme park, a fitting location for the vampire-themed attraction. As well as the hotel tour ride, the Hotel Transylvania-themed area of Dream Island will also include a Tavern of Fear snack bar, a Vampire’s Bite burger café, and a merchandise store named Transylvania Treasures.

A preview of the attraction posted to YouTube shows many of the Hotel’s denizens brought to life through special effects and animatronics, as well as a high level of detailing in the castle’s decoration. Dream Island’s other licensed attractions feature Sanrio’s Hello Kitty, The Smurfs, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while other areas are themed after fairytales and famous tourist attractions around the world.

The ride is the second internationally to be themed after Hotel Transylvania, with a dark ride based on the franchise having been built at Dubai’s MotionGate Theme Park–which also has a John Wick-themed roller coaster in the works.

The launch of Dream Island’s take on Hotel Transylvania was timed to match up with the release of Hotel Transylvania: Transformania–the fourth and final film in the franchise, which is due to release on July 23 in the United States.

Oscars 2021: How And When To Watch On TV And Online

The Academy Awards are back with the iconic awards show’s first ceremony since COVID-19 changed everything about live events. While the Oscars have been pushing to get back to something resembling the pre-pandemic norm, the ceremony will still be quite different to years past. Here’s how you can watch it for yourself.

The most notable difference in this year’s event will be the location. While certain parts of the show will be streamed from within the show’s normal home of the Dolby Theatre, the majority of it will take place in an open-air venue at Los Angeles’ Union Station.

Parts of the show will also be streamed from international locations–such as a performance of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’s nominated song Husavik performed in the town of Húsavík, Iceland–though the event organisers are looking to cut down on Zoom call-ins wherever possible.

Like the aforementioned Husavik, all this year’s Oscar-nominated songs will be performed in their entirety as part of the pre-show, rather than having the performances as part of the ceremony itself.

As far as nominees, Chadwick Boseman is in the running for a posthumous Best Lead Actor win for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, after winning the Golden Globe for the same role earlier this year. Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland is considered the front-runner in a Best Picture race that also includes Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, David Fincher’s Mank, and Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah. Check out all the nominees for the 2021 awards here.

When and where to watch the Oscars on TV

The 93rd Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, April 25, after being delayed due to COVID-19. The red carpet kicks off at 6:30 PM ET, with the ceremony itself beginning at 8 PM ET.

The show, which will be hostless as it has been for the past two years, will still be broadcast live on ABC. ABC’s coverage will start with the “Oscars: Into the Spotlight” pre-show at 6:30 PM, which will include footage from a stripped back red carpet that has been described as a “a teeny-tiny red carpet” by producer Stacey Sher. Instead of the usual red carpet crowds, only nominees, their guests, and presenters will be present–though the Academy has asked attendees to put more effort into their dress than the pandemic-inspired loungewear seen at other award shows.

Where to watch the Oscars online

The ceremony and pre-show can also be viewed through the ABC app for viewers who authenticate through their cable or satellite service. ABC will also make the show available on-demand after the ceremony. Cable-cutters can also stream the show through services such as YouTube TV, FuboTV, or Hulu with Live TV. Viewers who don’t have any of these services who are happy to just watch the highlights can also follow along on the official Oscars YouTube channel.