While Marvel’s Ironheart series for Disney Plus is still a way off, fans will be getting their first introduction to the character ahead of the show’s premiere. Ironheart star Dominique Thorne will make her MCU debut as Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever next year, as confirmed by Variety.
Thorne’s involvement with the Black Panther sequel was confirmed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige during an interview with Comicbook.com.
“We’re shooting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever right now,” Feige said. “The character of Riri Williams, you will meet in Black Panther 2 first… She started shooting, I think, this week before her Ironheart series.”
Thorne joins an ensemble including returning cast members Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, and Lupita Nyong’o. Last month, it was reported that I May Destroy You creator, co-director and star Michaela Coel was joining the project in an unknown role. The film began production in late June and is set to hit theaters on July 8, 2022.
Ironheart, a.k.a. Riri Williams, was created by Marvel comics in 2015. A genius teenage student at M.I.T., Williams creates the most advanced suit of armor since Tony Stark’s Iron Man. The character’s upcoming Disney Plus series has tapped Chinaka Hodge to serve as head writer. Hodge’s previous television credits include Apple’s reboot of Amazing Stories and TNT’s adaptation of Snowpiercer.
While Marvel hasn’t confirmed a release window for Ironheart, the studio has plenty of Disney Plus projects on the horizon. Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye will return in an original series later this year. Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk will also hit the streamer sometime in the future. For a review on every MCU project on the way, check out our complete rundown of the studio’s upcoming line-up.
J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.
Steven Spohn describes himself as a “twice-over terminally disabled individual” with spinal muscular atrophy who, according to doctors, shouldn’t be alive. He also describes himself as someone deeply dedicated to advocating for people with disabilities who want to play games.
He turned 40 last year and despite feeling the friendly pressure to celebrate it in a big way — “It’s like a rite of passage, right?” — that was never a reality for him. The COVID-19 pandemic threatened his existence, something spinal muscular atrophy was already doing. Instead, he channeled his love of games and advocacy for the disabled gamer community into a charity drive that managed to raise more than $1 million.
“I am extremely grateful right now,” Spohn said. “But you know, I’m someone who’s also never satisfied with what I’ve done. My personality is always looking for what’s next and I’m just someone trying to figure out how to do more good for the world. I’d love to give you the perfect sound bite — ‘I’m going to Disney World’ — but the only thing on my brain right now is, ‘Ok cool, we managed to do this really cool thing, and here’s what this money is going to do. What’s next?’”
Disabled gamers can face a plethora of challenges when it comes to gaming depending on their disability, such as being unable to use traditional controllers. That’s why AbleGamers works to raise money to purchase items like Microsoft’s adaptive controller for disabled gamers. Spohn himself plays games with a mouse and an infrared hat that uses the pitch and yaw of his head to select preset keyboard buttons.
Many people have a disability like blindness that makes seeing what’s on the screen difficult, or deafness, which can affect one’s ability to hear what’s happening in a game. AbleGamers works directly with developers to help them build options in their games to make them more accessible for people with these kinds of disabilities, and others too.
Spohn’s $1 million charity drive was started to continue all that AbleGamers does, be it remain afloat with paid employees, purchase controllers, create new courses for developers, or hire occupational therapists.
The official fundraising effort began on Spohn’s 40th birthday on September 15 last year and Spohn’s fundraising effort became formally organized under the “#SpawnTogether” hashtag the day the drive began. From there it grew more and more popular throughout the fundraiser.
Spohn says it was always going to be a grassroots effort because he wanted the wider industry to see that people care about people with disabilities.
Today is my 40th birthday!
For my 39th birthday, I made friends with @TheRock
To celebrate this milestone, I’m going to raise $1,000,000 for charity.
Technically, Spohn had hit his $1 million goal at that point, but during the excitement and happiness of the moment, he decided right then and there that he wanted to raise another million.
“I said, ‘thank you for the million and now I’m going to go out and raise another,’ and then we raised $1 million from the community,” Spohn said. “Because here’s the thing: Let’s say I live for another 20 years, or maybe I die in three months. Either way, the charity is going to go on. I knew that it couldn’t be as simple as just convincing a big conglomerate owned by Amazon that they need to hand over a million dollars every year. I needed to show people that it’s something we can all do together.”
I am so shook.@Twitch donating $1,000,000 to @AbleGamers is going to *literally* change the lives of thousands of people with disabilities.
To you who supported me, my work, AbleGamers, and our lofty dream of enabling everyone to play: Thank you
And show people #SpawnTogether did. Sure, some bigger names helped out, including game developer Alanah Pearce, streamers Bruce Greene and BloodyFaster, and even State Farm and Felicia Day. Spohn, who had received support from people like actors Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds in the past, saw his fundraiser reach the likes of actor Brie Larson, too. But Spohn is just as proud of the hundreds of other names that helped out by donating, streaming for the fundraiser, or even sharing a link.
All told, about 250 streamers and 50 teams joined Spohn’s fundraising effort through Tiltify. Whether they donated a dollar or $10,000, partners urged their communities to donate or helped people learn what AbleGamers is about. They pushed forward Spohn’s mission to prove that making gaming more accessible is a cause worthy of the world’s attention.
Spohn said steamer Lilsimsie was one of his main rocks throughout the effort. He called her his Pikachu, always there when he would say, “I need you,” much in the same way Ash Ketchum relies on Pikachu to pull him through the toughest of challenges.
The toughest challenge of all was actually raising $1 million — which is no small sum. Lilsimsie raised $150,000 alone for #SpawnTogether. Halfway through the year-long goal, #SpawnTogether had raised $300,000 since the $1 million donation from Twitch. That topped Spohn’s wildest expectations, but with just six months to go until his next birthday on September 15, there was still a lot of work to be done. Hundreds more, however, helped him smash past that goal, weeks before the year was up.
Then, there’s also the extra attention the fundraiser brought to Spohn, his disability, and AbleGamers as a whole. There were positives, of course. Namely, people learned more about video game accessibility and what AbleGamers is trying to do. Unfortunately, it also led to people mocking Spohn, but he saw those moments as teaching opportunities, sometimes successful, sometimes not.
“We’ve [disabled gamers] kind of become masters of taking a negative and turning it into a positive because people with disabilities have been so looked down on in our society,” Spohn said, reflecting on how his disability led him to a place in life where he can do something like raising $1 million. “All of this was a grassroots effort. This was a Steven Spohn thing at first because this was not an AbleGamers-sanctioned event, there was no marketing budget put into this, nobody was paying me to do anything…this was about people doing something out of the goodness of their hearts and simply helping out one another.”
What’s Next for Spohn and AbleGamers
Spohn hasn’t quite figured out what’s next. He knows how the money will immediately help AbleGamers, where he’s the chief operating officer. It’ll help purchase more accessible controllers for the organization to give to disabled gamers. It’ll allow AbleGamers to hire occupational therapists and more to help the organization reach the 46 million disabled gamers in America. It’ll help AbleGamers continue to teach developers how to develop games with accessibility in mind. But for Spohn, looking five years into the future isn’t easy.
“Where we’ll be in five years, I have no idea,” Spohn says. “I couldn’t have told you I’d be doing this interview even a year ago. However, I’m always somebody who wants to figure out how to help the most people in the most efficient ways and I think we’re slowly figuring out how to do that. I think in five years, you’ll see an organization that is raising millions of dollars, an organization that the industry respects because of how transparent we are with where our money goes and…generally, how we don’t leave any ambiguity as to what’s going on behind the curtain.”
Spohn said he’s incredibly grateful for all of the congratulations and buzz around the $1 million achievement, but he doesn’t want people to think of the achievement as his. He just wants to be known as the person that lit the fire. He’s the person that lit the beacons of Gondor, he says. Every single person that donated to his cause is a Rider of Rohan.
“I think that’s my general advice for anybody out there who’s currently looking at me as their inspiration to do something like this,” Spohn says. “Move forward. When we join this world, there’s a lot wrong with it and there’s a lot of things that can be done better, and we can’t fix everything. But you can pick a couple of things and you can make them just a little bit better.”
“Now we can say to the industry, ‘people with disabilities are important, and they’re so important that we banded together to raise a million dollars.’ That validation of gamers with disabilities is important…and the games industry needs to keep paying attention to it.”
Actress Dominique Thorne will have her live-action debut as the armored superhero Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The news was revealed in an interview with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige at ComicBook.com.
“We’re shooting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, right now, and the character of Riri Williams, you will meet in Black Panther 2 first,” he teased. “She started shooting, I think, this week before her Ironheart series.”
Thorne was announced to play Williams in a standalone Disney+ TV series during a Disney Investor Day event in December 2020. It was later reported that Chinaka Hodge (Snowpiercer) would write the series.
Williams, created by comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato first appeared in 2016’s Invincible Iron Man #7 in 2016. The character is a 15-year-old engineer from Chicago who designs her own armored suit, similar to Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit while studying at MIT. After Stark reaches out to Williams, he gives her his blessing to a superhero. While it hasn’t been revealed whether or not Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Tony Stark for the series, we’re not holding our breath since the character died in Avengers: Endgame.
Thorne’s previous acting roles were in Judas and the Black Messiah as Judy Harmon and If Beale Street Could Talk as Sheila Hunt.
While Ironheart has yet to have a premiere date on Disney+, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to premiere in theaters on July 8, 2022.
Creating a seasonal ladder character in Diablo 2 often meant having access to powerful, exclusive items that could only be obtained in ladder play. As detailed by Blizzard in a new forum post, that won’t be the case in Diablo 2: Resurrected.
In Diablo 2’s upcoming remaster, formerly ladder-exclusive unique items, runewords, and recipes will be included in non-ladder multiplayer and single-player for the first time. Ladder seasons usually last around six months and require new characters to be created, and there are ladders for both normal and hardcore (permadeath) characters. Characters are converted into non-ladder characters at the end of each season.
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“We understand these items complement prominent builds and playstyles cherished by the community,” Blizzard writes. “Furthermore, we have heard the community ask to include these items into the single player experience for quite some time. Now players playing solo can also partake in the metas that have become popularized from the original multiplayer Ladder experience. Furthermore, single player will now also include access to the Pandemonium Event and Uber Diablo content.”
Blizzard writes that in order to ensure server stability at launch, the game’s first ladder season will come shortly after the game’s release, but won’t be available on day one.
Diablo 2: Resurrected just concluded its early access beta, with an open beta set to take place starting August 20. One small change coming in the open beta due to early access beta feedback is that the method for purchasing skills has been changed to require separate button presses. This was done in order to help prevent players from accidently assigning skill points, as outside of one free re-spec players earn in the game’s first Act, reassigning skill points can’t be done until far later in the game and with far more difficulty.
Diablo 2: Resurrected will release on consoles and PC September 23. The game’s release comes as Blizzard continues to deal with the fallout from a state of California lawsuit alleging a workplace culture of discrimination and harassment towards women. Following California’s investigation, multiple high profile developers have left the company, including former Blizzard president J. Allen Brack and Diablo 4 game director Luis Barriga. Diablo 4 is currently in development and doesn’t yet have a release date.
Fans have known for a while that Arkane’s upcoming PlayStation 5 timed console exclusive Deathloop would include a PvP mode, but what exactly that all would entail has been kept under wraps. Thanks to a new QuakeCon panel, new details on how PvP will work in the time loop focused shooter have been revealed, including the fact that there will be rare loot in store for players who manage to defeat an invader.
Players looking to go on the hunt will take on the role of Julianna, who can choose to invade a random player or a friend currently playing Deathloop. Julianna can choose her weapons and powers from a hub area before going hunting in search of the game’s main character, Colt.
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While Julianna can be deadly, she does have one disadvantage as an invading player– the inability to respawn. While Juliana will only get one chance at taking out her target, those playing as Cole will be able to come back to life a limited number of times using his reprise ability. This lets Cole play a little more aggressively than his female assassin counterpart, with Arkane saying Juliana may want to employ traps and other tools to stay out of harm’s way.
Those playing as Cole don’t have to engage with Julianna, and can instead look to run away or hide should they wish. But Arkane is making it so defeating an invader could be worth a player’s time, thanks to the loot she will drop when killed. Arkane says defeating Juliana will score players rewards ranging from high quality weapons to power upgrades, trinkets that work as character perks, and the game’s primary resource, Residium.
Why, exactly, does Juliana as a character seem so determined to kill Cole as many times as possible? As Julianna and Cole are the only two people who can remember their previous loops before they are reset, she’s looking to get Cole to challenge her at “her level.”
Deathloop will release on PlayStation 5 and PC September 14. Players who preorder the game will score a trinket, character skin, and weapon as a bonus, with PlayStation Plus subscribers saving 10%.
If you didn’t think it was possible, developer Bethesda Game Studios is re-releasing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and it’s even introducing a new piece of content. This 10th Anniversary Edition of the game will be available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
10 years of content isn’t all that’s in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 10th Anniversary Edition. There is also a brand-new mechanic that’s been added to the open-world action-RPG: fishing. Yes, fishing will be included as a free mini-game when Skyrim’s 10th Anniversary Edition drops on November 11.
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The 10th Anniversary Edition of the game comes with other new features, but Bethesda didn’t outline these during the latest QuakeCon virtual event. One thing Bethesda noted, however, was the the Skyrim’s 10th Anniversary Edition will include some new conte from the Creation Club.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition owners on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S will get access to a free next-gen enhanced version on the same day. Everyone else who has the Special Edition of Skyrim can purchase the Anniversary Edition upgrade for a currently undisclosed amount.
This new edition of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim also marks the 10th version of its release, making it one of the most ported games currently on the market.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 10th Anniversary Edition drops on November 11.
Call of Duty: Vanguard has been officially revealed and it looks like it could require less storage than the most recent games in the series. Over on the Microsoft Store website, the Xbox Series X|S version of Call of Duty: Vanguard is listed as only requiring 95 GB of storage, although this might be missing some required content packs.
The two previous Call of Duty games have had the option to uninstall portions of the game, like the campaign, to make the file size smaller, which is possibly where the 95 GB file size comes from. If viewed in the Microsoft store on an Xbox Series X, the file size is listed as 90 GB without the content packs. The content packs may need to be installed to play certain modes in Vanguard, increasing the overall install size. The full size for the Ultimate and Cross-Gen editions–which include the content packs–are listed at 270 GB of storage, although this appears to be counting the beta, Xbox One version, and Series X|S version, only one of which you’d likely have installed at a time. The web page lists Vanguard’s upcoming beta as a 50 GB install.
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The Xbox One Version of the game takes up 70 GB, but again, that also doesn’t include the content packs. Call of Duty games have had large file sizes in recent years, with last year’s Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War currently taking 215 GB of storage on Xbox Series X. In addition to that Warzone is its own install, adding to the amount of storage Call of Duty requires.
Though the Nintendo Switch is relatively affordable compared to other consoles, some of the best Switch games consistently hover around the $50 to $60 mark, meaning you can easily rack up the costs when building up your Switch library. Though it’s hard to avoid spending money on games entirely, there are plenty of free Switch games available to download on the Nintendo eShop. These can be a great option if you’re on a budget or if you just want to try out some new games commitment-free, and many of them are just great games, plain and simple. Whether you’re looking to save money or just interested in discovering some new games without breaking out your wallet, here are 10 of the best free Switch games available on the eShop right now. For more recs, check out the best Switch games for kids and great Switch multiplayer games.
The following list is organized alphabetically and not ranked. Note that some games require Nintendo Switch Online, which we’ve indicated below.
Brawlhalla
Brawlhalla
Released on Switch in 2018, Brawlhalla is a free-to-play platform fighter with over 50 playable fighters, or “Legends.” For the most part, your goal is to send your opponent flying off the stage, similar to Super Smash Bros., with them becoming more susceptible to being knocked off as they receive more damage. Up to eight players can join in locally or online, making this a great party game if you’ve got extra Pro Controllers or Joy-Cons lying around. Brawlhalla has nearly two dozen different modes that let you experience different types of matches and rules, some of which can only be experienced on a rotating basis as the Brawl of the Week. On top of that, nine free-to-play characters are rotated in every week, and you can play online to earn gold and unlock even more Legends, so there’s a ton to experience in Brawlhalla without spending a dime. However, you must buy a Legend (or purchase the All-Legends Pack DLC) in order to permanently keep them, so if you end up getting into the game long-term, you probably will end up spending some money (like most free-to-play titles on this list). Still, as a free download, Brawlhalla is worth checking out if you’re looking for a new fighting game on Switch.
Fallout Shelter
Fallout Shelter
Fans of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic RPG series Fallout can dive into a free-to-play management sim set in the same universe, Fallout Shelter, on Nintendo Switch. In Fallout Shelter, you are in charge of your own state-of-the-art underground Vault and a community of Dwellers taking shelter from the dangerous Wasteland above. As Overseer, you’ll add on various rooms to your Vault, each of which provides you with different items or bonuses. Each Dweller has their own unique profile that affects the kind of resources they can generate as well, and you’ll want to outfit them with the proper gear to ensure they can do their job well. You’ll also need to send your people above ground on certain missions, a deadly risk, and all sorts of dangers will threaten your community both from the outside and within. In terms of microtransactions, there’s nothing you need to buy in Fallout Shelter to progress in the game, though some items and “lunchbox” bundles can be bought with real money.
Fortnite
Fortnite
Several years after its initial release, Fortnite is still one of the biggest games in the world, with an active community, frequent limited-time events, and even in-game concerts with huge stars like Ariana Grande. You can play it for free on Nintendo Switch (and every other platform), though developer Epic Games makes a lucrative business off microtransactions via in-game currency, cosmetics, and battle passes. You don’t need to bother with any of that to see what Fortnite’s all about though, which includes the famous 100-player battle royale mode, the Creative sandbox mode, the new Among Us-style Impostors mode, and more.
Pac-Man 99*
Pac-Man 99
Like other games in the 99 series, Pac-Man 99 plays a lot like the original Pac-Man, only it’s way more hectic. In this “battle royale,” you play against 99 other Pac-Man players, each of you controlling a single Pac-Man with only one life. As in normal Pac-Man, you’ll race to devour as many dots as you can (which gives you power-ups) while avoiding ghosts, of which there are several types with different abilities. You must also survive “Jammers” from other players targeting you–some of these will slow you down (and potentially allow ghosts to catch up to you), while others will kill you outright. Though Pac-Man 99 is free to play (as part of the Switch Online membership), paid DLC offering new game modes and custom themes is available.
*Nintendo Switch Online required
Pokemon Unite
Pokemon Unite
A MOBA in the style of games like League of Legends, Pokemon Unite is the newest release on this list, and it’s already getting new playable Pokemon and other updates. In Unite, you face off against online players in five-on-five team battles, leveling up and evolving your Pokemon throughout the battle and aiming to get your team the most points by the end of the game. Over time, your rank will increase, and you’ll earn Coins, one of the in-game currencies, through gameplay. However, to unlock new playable Pokemon for your team, you’ll need a considerable amount of Coins (and there’s a weekly limit on how many you can earn); otherwise, you can use Gems, the premium currency tied to real money. (See our breakdown of Pokemon Unite’s microtransactions for an idea of the in-game purchases it offers.) Despite Pokemon Unite’s aggressive monetization strategies, you don’t need to spend a dime to progress in the game or win matches–as The Gamer’s Cian Maher points out, it’s ultimately a game in which skilled and strategic players are going to win regardless. If you fancy the challenge, you can jump into Pokemon Unite for free and see what it’s all about.
Rocket League
Rocket League
Everyone’s favorite vehicular soccer game went free-to-play in September 2020, which means you can jump in on Nintendo Switch anytime and experience its fast-paced team matches. Rocket League follows the same basic rules of soccer–you want to send the ball flying into your opponents’ goal while blocking them from scoring on your side–only you’re controlling a full-sized vehicle with its own unique inertia and movement capabilities. Making your vehicle go and do what you want it to do in Rocket League is, well, easier said than done, but put in enough time and practice, and you’ll be pulling off impressive moves to score points in no time. And once you get the hang of things, there are competitive tournaments, challenges, and more modes to keep the fun going.
Super Kirby Clash*
Super Kirby Clash
In this multiplayer action-RPG, you and a team of fellow Kirbys will fight your way through levels and take down tough bosses in a land known as the Dream Kingdom. Super Kirby Clash offers four unique roles to choose from with different weapon abilities–Sword Hero, Hammer Lord, Beam Mage, and Doctor Healmore–and up to four players can join in as Team Kirby. As you progress through each level, you’ll be able to craft weapons and spend materials at the shop to get even better weapons, armor, and items. Both local and online multiplayer, though you’ll need Switch Online for online play. You’ll notice that the eShop describes Super Kirby Clash as “free-to-start”; however, while there are ample ways you could spend money in the game (buying items, weapons, etc.), the game is still entirely free-to-play without you needing to spend a dime, albeit with slower progression if you avoid microtransactions entirely.
*Nintendo Switch Online required for online play
Tetris 99*
Tetris 99
We’ve already talked about Pac-Man 99 on this list, but Tetris 99 was where the 99-player battle royale series started. In this competitive spin on the classic block-stacking game, you must be the last player standing as you rotate and drop blocks while targeting other Tetris players, represented in little boards around yours. Of course, those other players will be targeting you right back, based on various criteria (sometimes it’s random, sometimes it’s those who are targeting them back, etc.). By completing daily missions in Tetris 99, you’ll earn “tickets,” which can be used to purchase neat in-game themes that change the blocks and music. If you get pretty good at the game, you can ramp up the challenge by participating in Nintendo’s periodic Maximus Cup events, and if you earn enough points, you’ll unlock in-game themes based on other Nintendo games or earn Gold Points to redeem in the eShop. Win at least one Maximus victory, and you’ll get access to Tetris 99 Invictus, a mode available for only the most skilled players.
*Nintendo Switch Online required
Warframe
Warframe
First released on PC in early 2013, action-RPG Warframe has since expanded to both previous-gen and current-gen consoles, including the Nintendo Switch version that launched in late 2018. Developer Digital Extremes has supported the game extensively with major updates, gameplay overhauls, new modes, and additional story elements over the years, so if you’re looking to jump in on Nintendo Switch, there’s now plenty of content to experience. In Warframe, you play as a member of the Tenno race, ancient warriors who have woken up from a 100-year cryogenic sleep to find themselves in the middle of a massive galactic war. The Tenno don bio-mechanical suits known as “Warframes,” and over 30 different Warframes are available to choose from, each with their own unique abilities. The gameplay is fast-paced with a mix of third-person shooting and melee combat, and a variety of different playstyles are available, so it’s just best to dive in and see what you enjoy the most. You can also team up with three other friends online without the need for a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Note that offline play isn’t supported, so you’ll need an internet connection. In July 2021, Digital Extremes announced that cross-play and cross-saves are coming to the game later this year.
It’s almost time for the biggest party of the summer. WWE SummerSlam airs live on Peacock on Saturday, August 21. While the event is stacked with matches, including Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg and Roman Reigns vs. John Cena, there’s another match that has a huge chance of stealing the show. WWE Raw Women’s Champion Nikki ASH will be defending her title against former champions Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair.
Appearing on GameSpot’s professional wrestling podcast Wrestle Buddies, the current champ didn’t shy away from admitting how big of a hurdle this match will be. “They’re both formidable, they’re both powerful,” she said. “I’m going into this match as the Raw Women’s Champion and I’m also going in as the underdog because I’m the smaller competitor.”
This isn’t the Nikki Cross of old, though. Earlier this year, she embraced a new character that she dubbed Nikki ASH (almost superhero). She began wearing a cape and a mask, embracing the inner superhero she thinks is inside all of us. Don’t expect her to start exhibiting superpowers like WWE’s original superhero, The Hurricane, though.
“What really separates a supervillain from a superhero is that moral compass,” she explained. “So for me, I’ve got all the drive and the hope and the persistence and the love of a superhero like Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel, but I’m not going to have any super serum or magical superpowers.” That’s why she’s deemed herself almost a superhero. She’s got the mindset and the drive, just none of the magic powers that are involved.
Still, she will be taking some superhero inspiration when it comes to toppling her opponents at SummerSlam. “Even though I’m strong and always in my gym doing superhero training, they are both powerful, formidable women,” she said. “So I need to rely more on speed and agility and pinning combinations like Black Widows busting out or Rogue from X-Men. This is the biggest challenge I’m going to face in my career. This is the biggest challenge so far having been the Raw Women’s Champion.”
Still, even with the tall challenge ahead of her, Nikki reassures fans, “I have every intention of walking out of SummerSlam as the Raw Women’s Champion. I’m really proud to defend my championship at such a big stage–it’s the biggest party of the summer.”
SummerSlam broadcasts Saturday, August 21. Make sure to check out the full card for the show and don’t forget to listen to Nikki ASH’s full appearance on Wrestle Buddies above–complete with GameSpot’s predictions for the show.
Peacock has released the first official trailer for Frogger, the game show that is–as you can likely guess–a live-action real-life version of the popular arcade and video game. The show also finally has a release date revealed by the clip: September 9, with new episodes airing every Thursday.
The Frogger TV show was filmed in Australia–presumably as it’s safer to produce there compared to other countries due to the pandemic–and has 13 hour-long episodes total coming this fall. Actor and comedian Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl, Happy Endings) will host the Frogger TV show for Peacock with contestants competing to be named “America’s finest Frogger.” (Even though, again, it was filmed in Australia.) His co-host is Kyle Brandt of Good Morning Football. Check out the clip below, froggy-style.
The show’s official synopsis reads in part: “Audiences and contestants alike will be transported into a wild, whimsical Frogger world, filled with all the simple but challenging elements of the mega-hit from Konami. Contestants from across the country will test their talent in a competition requiring skill, strength, strategy, and problem-solving smarts.” The winner gets a cash prize of $100,000.
