Author: Trafficblast

The Fast and Furious cast has more than a few reasons to celebrate. One being they have the highest opening weekend since 2019, and of course, the recent announcement that Fast 10 parts one and two will start filming in the new year.

“I think what feels best is just the idea that people are returning to the theatrical experience, Diesel told Variety. “It feels good to say, ‘cinema is back’.”

“You can’t fault another studio for wanting to stream a movie,” Diesel continued. “But the ones like Universal are bold enough to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to support the theatrical release’. I take my hat off to them.”

Oscar-winner Theron, who is making her return to the franchise, said how perfect this movie was to come back to theaters for. “It’s amazing. Just thinking about the fact that they’re on their ninth movie, that’s pretty impressive. It’s a perfect movie to help us come back.”

The franchise started in 2001 with The Fast and The Furious revolving around speed racing and eventually evolved into a full-blown superhero franchise with its own spin-off series with Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson. The recent installment, F9: The Fast Saga, took in $70 million in its opening weekend. In total, the franchise has brought in $1.7 billion domestically, $6.2 billion worldwide, and ranks 15th in all-time franchise earnings when adjusted for inflation.

Dante from the Devil May Cry series and Dovakhiin from The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim have finally joined the fight in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, although only as costumes for the Mii Fighter character.

The latest Mr. Sakurai Presents video went live today and in traditional Mr. Sakurai fashion, it featured the game’s director, Masahiro Sakurai, breaking down the moveset, character presentation, and inspiration for the latest fighter joining the game’s roster.

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Today’s showcased fighter was Kazuya from the Tekken series, who will join the roster tomorrow.

However, as is tradition, Sakurai also revealed the latest Mii Fighter costumes coming to the game and that’s where it was announced that both Dante and Dovakhiin would be added to the game as costumes. They will cost 75 cents and will be available for purchase starting tomorrow.

Shantae and Lloyd from Tales of Symphonia were revealed as Mii Fighter costumes as well, as you can see in the trailer above. Sometimes, songs associated with these costumes will be released and available for purchase to use in the game. Despite songs for Lloyd, Dante, and Dovakhiin playing in the trailer, only Shantae will have a song available for purchase.

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Today’s announcement is probably exciting for some and disappointing for some. That’s because at least in Dante’s case, it’s been heavily rumored for months, if not years, that he’d be joining the game as a full-on fighter.

Now, these rumors weren’t necessarily based in any concrete evidence, but some in the Smash Bros. community had long speculated Dante’s arrival to the game. Alas, his arrival as a Mii Fighter costume essentially knocks him out of the running to become an actual fighter in the game.

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On the other hand, those who were not as excited about the potential of Dante coming to the game — especially in light of the fact that only one more fighter will be released following Kazuya — are probably feeling better now that they essentially know the final fighter won’t be Dante.

Who that final fighter is, though, remains unknown. Kazuya was just revealed during Nintendo’s E3 2021 Direct so it will likely be at least a few months until we learn who’s rounding out the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster.

While waiting for that announcement, check out today’s news that Tekken’s Kazuya will hit the game tomorrow and then check out the full Nintendo E3 2021 Direct where Kazuya was officially revealed. Check out this quick showcase of Kazuya’s moveset after that.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Activision has won a lawsuit filed against it by famed WWE wrestler, Booker T. Huffman, who claimed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 character, Prophet, was modeled after a portryal of Huffman’s own G.I. Bro character.

WWE Hall of Famer, Huffman, filed the copyright infringement lawsuit against Activision back in 2019 in response to a character poster for Prophet released by Activision. Huffman claimed that the Prophet model was based on a G.I. Bro poster, thus infringing on his copyright of the character, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.

The jury for the case unanimoulsy agreed that Activision did not infringe upon Huffman’s copyright in the G.I. Bro poster on June 24, according to official court records of the jury’s verdict form.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Activision argued in court that Huffman failed to present enough evidence to support his claim of copyright infringement, citing that the wrestler did “not own the idea of an angry man with a scowling look.” Activision said this in response to Huffman’s claim that G.I. Bro’s facial expression and attitude were unique to that character.

When Huffman filed the lawsuit in 2019, he told the court that “he conceived a character like his wrestling personality who would be a retired special operations soldier, fighting an old enemy he thought he had finished off years before, with the support of his old military friends,” according to a 2019 GamesIndustry.biz report.

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He also said that there was “no question [Prophet] was copied from G.I. Bro,” according to GamesIndustry.biz, going as far as to say that Activision copied G.I. Bro’s hair, body type, clothing, and facial expressions. He called the similarities “too profound to be an accident.”

Activision, however, said Prophet couldn’t have been modeled after Huffman because Prophet was actually modeled after Dwayne Johnson from the neck down.

For more about Call of Duty, check out this list of every IGN Call of Duty review and then read about how Call of Duty: Warzone’s most-hated skin finally received a proper nerf. Check out this story about how this year’s new Call of Duty is reportedly called Vanguard and set in World War 2.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Developer Respawn seems to have plans in store for Wattson, one of the more dominant playable characters in Apex Legends. It looks like the studio wants to change how it feels to play as the static defender.

“[Wattson] outperforms Wraith and Lifeline in winrate (and they have very similar hitboxes to her),” Respawn lead game designer Daniel Klein tweeted in response to a comment that Wattson’s abilities are easy to counter. “What is true, I feel, is that her abilities aren’t fun to use, and their power isn’t felt. We can measure the power in games won; we cannot measure how it feels.”

Wattson fits into Apex Legends’ meta in a similar capacity to Crypto and Rampart, in that her abilities are geared towards preparation, not reaction. Wattson, Crypto, and Rampart excel at using their abilities to prepare for the fight to come, not jumping into the fray like the other 14 characters.

Crypto and Rampart break the mold a little bit with their offensive ultimate abilities, which can be used in the midst of a fight to deal damage. But not Wattson. She is the game’s only pure defender, with abilities entirely geared towards bunkering down and letting an enemy squad waste their resources before finishing them off.

In comparison to the other legends in the game, this means Wattson can be seen as a selfless legend who’s only there to help her team win, not rack up kills. So it can feel like she’s a weak link despite actually being a dominant force, and for folks who like joining their teammates on pushing on fights and getting lots of kills, playing as Wattson can feel not as fun.

Respawn tried to amend this in Season 8’s Chaos Theory event, introducing a new “selfish” passive ability for Wattson that allows her to recharge her shields outside of combat. However, it sounds like Respawn wants to go a little bit further in the future.

“So obviously we’ve got work scheduled on [Wattson], but no ETA yet,” Klein tweeted. “That work won’t be a buff though; it’ll likely need to include a nerf so we can ship it without warping the game.”

We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out, but this sounds like Respawn is planning on transforming Wattson into a somewhat different character, nerfing her existing abilities to then give her something new to do that feels more fun.

I hope I’m wrong. Though it is easier to have a good time in Apex Legends with the other characters–they’re abilities make it easier to get kills, pull off incredible escapes, and finish off wounded targets–there’s a deep sense of satisfaction in learning a map’s layout and then using that knowledge to erect makeshift bunkers with Wattson’s Perimeter Security and Interception Pylon, relying on pre-planning to win the match. It’s a sense of fun that’s harder to achieve, but a welcome chance to enjoy Apex Legends in a different way.

Wattson is Apex Legends’ best character for players who want to win via brain, not brawn–Apex Legends’ meta deserves to have at least one character that really embodies that playstyle. As Wattson says, “Sometimes, careful planning wins out over might.” Her character will lose something if Respawn amplifies the feeling of might that she has.

Xbox Cloud Gaming’s open beta is officially live now. To mark the occasion, Microsoft has given Xbox Cloud Gaming a big hardware boost: its cloud streaming service will run on Xbox Series X hardware, meaning that the games should be able to achieve higher graphical quality and performance.

The Cloud Gaming beta is now widely available for use across iOS devices, Windows 10 PCs, MacOS computers, and Android devices. It’s available to anyone who subscribes to Game Pass Ultimate. On Windows PCs, you can boot up Cloud Gaming through the Edge or Google Chrome browsers (other Chromium-based browsers appear to work too; I ran it through Brave). Users on iOS devices will have to go through their Safari browser as a result of Apple policies. In addition, it works on MacOS through Safari, Edge, and Chromium browsers.

Microsoft has also fully upgraded its behind-the-scenes tech so that Cloud Gaming now runs on Xbox Series X hardware, custom-built for game streaming. The company states that this will allow for faster loads and better performance. However, it is still capping game streams at 1080p and 60fps for the moment “to ensure the lowest latency, highest quality experience across the broadest set of devices,” according to its press release.

If you want to check out Xbox Cloud Gaming yourself, you can go to xbox.com/play. If you’re not already a member of Game Pass, be sure to take advantage of a limited-time offer that gets you your first three months for $1 USD.

Danganronpa Decadence is set to release exclusively for Nintendo Switch sometime this year. It represents the first time the series will be available on Switch, and it’s up for preorder now (see it at Amazon: standard | collector’s). It contains the three main games in the series, plus a new game called Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp.

The game is available in two editions, a standard one and a collector’s edition. Below, we have the full rundown on what the collection is, what comes in each edition, and where you can preorder a copy for yourself. Let’s get to it.

Danganronpa Decadence Collector’s Edition

• Get it at Amazon – $99.99
• Get it at Target – $99.99
• See it at Best Buy – (Not yet available)

If you want some fun extras with your copy, you’ll want to pick up the collector’s edition. It comes with the game, as well as the following items:

• 10th anniversary poster
• Lenticular print set (3 prints)
• Remix original soundtrack
• Metal box

Danganronpa Decadence Standard Edition

• Get it at Amazon – $59.99
• Get it at Target – $59.99
• See it at Best Buy – (Not yet available)

Don’t need the extras? Grab the standard edition instead.

What Games Are in Danganronpa Decadence?

Danganronpa Decadence is a collection of four games, three of which have been available on other systems for a while, and one new one. Here they are:

• Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (2010)
• Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (2012)
• Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (2017)
• Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp (2021)

That last one is a brand-new game, at least kind of. It’s based on the board game in Danganronpa V3, but it’s been expanded substantially. It includes characters from the three main games, so you’ll probably want to play it last.

Danganronpa Decadence Digital Editions

At least so far, there is no single digital edition of Danganronpa Decadence available on the Nintendo eShop. You will be able to buy each of the games individually, including Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp, but they’re not available for preorder yet. You can view their listings here.

What is Danganronpa?

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Danganronpa is a series of delightfully gruesome adventure games about a psychotic robot bear named Monokuma who kidnaps high school students, traps them in large buildings, and forces them to kill one another. Each time a student turns up dead, you must investigate to figure out who did it. Then you have to present your evidence in a trial that ends in, yes, a death sentence.

It might sound heavier than it is, but these are stylish games that really are a blast to play. 

Other Preorder Guides

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Xbox and Backbone announced today that Xbox Cloud Gaming is officially coming to the Backbone One mobile controller, allowing you to easily play over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles on the go. Xbox is also making its game streaming service available for all iOS users today, as it was previously invite-only when it launched a couple of months ago.

The Backbone One controller currently supports a multitude of cloud and mobile gaming services such as Google Stadia, PlayStation Remote Play, NVIDIA GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, Apple Arcade, and more. It also joins the Razer Kishi, PowerA MOGA XP5-X, and 8BitDo SN30 Pro controllers as officially supported controllers for Xbox Cloud Gaming.

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The Backbone platform is a unique one, as it seamlessly integrates a handful of services into a central hub-like app and allows you to fluidly switch between games and services on the fly. In our review of the Backbone One, we said “it manages to create a seamless experience that blurs the lines between console and mobile gaming by producing a true ‘home screen’ experience.”

Xbox is also offering three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to those who purchase a Backbone One controller through the Backbone website for $99 USD. This is a great deal for new subscribers looking to check the service out or current members looking for a great controller as it stacks with existing subscriptions. Backbone is also available to purchase directly through the Microsoft Store, although the aforementioned deal doesn’t apply.

Although Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available on iOS, it’s still not available as a native app as Apple has not changed its stance on third-party game streaming apps like Google Stadia and Amazon Luna. Instead, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available as a progressive web app through Safari.

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Microsoft has been busy upgrading and adding to Xbox Game Pass as it recently announced it will be bringing Xbox Series X|S exclusive titles to Xbox One consoles via Xbox Cloud Gaming in the near future. This is just one of the many ways it’s leveraging its powerful cloud platform to bring games to people wherever they are. Some users have recently spotted potential upgrades to Microsoft’s server blades, allowing for faster framerates or higher resolutions while streaming various titles.

For more, check out our review for the Backbone One controller as well as a list of the best games to play right now on Xbox Game Pass.

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Matthew Adler is a Commerce, Features, News, Previews, Reviews, and Wikis writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

Showtime is bringing back one of Dexter Morgan’s biggest foes. John Lithgow is set to reprise his role as Arthur Mitchell, aka the Trinity Killer, in the network’s upcoming revival of Dexter, as reported by Deadline.

While there are few known details about Lithgow’s role in the Dexter revival, it is reported that the actor is only expected to film for about a day or so on the production. Showrunner Clyde Phillips and the series’ team of writers have figured out a way for the Trinity Killer to return in a way that makes sense within Dexter’s storyline.

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Spoilers ahead for Dexter.

Of course, the prospect of Arthur Mitchell returning to the series is a tricky one. The Trinity Killer bit the bullet in the Season 4 finale when Michael C. Hall’s Dexter took a hammer to him. While Lithgow’s tenure on Dexter only lasted for a season, the actor instantly became a fan favorite among the show’s audience.

Lithgow’s performance as Arthur Mitchell also drew critical acclaim. His performance won the actor his fifth Emmy in 2010, beating out the competition in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Lithgow has also won Emmys for his work on Amazing Stories, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Season One of Netflix’s The Crown. Lithgow could also pick up another nomination this year for his performance in HBO’s Perry Mason.

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Showtime announced the revival of Dexter last October. The new episodes will be set about a decade after Dexter Morgan went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura. The 10-episode season is eyeing a premiere date sometime in the fall. For more about the upcoming revival, read about how it is reframing the original series’ controversial finale.

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J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.

(Photo by Michael Tran/Getty Images)

Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available to all Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, Xbox announced Monday.

“Starting today, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets, via browser, across 22 countries,” the announcement reads.

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To sign up, you’ll need to go to Xbox.com/play on Microsoft Edge, Chrome, or Safari on a PC or mobile device. Games will be streamed to your screen at 1080p and “up to” 60 FPS.

Getting access to Xbox Cloud Gaming previously required an invitation from Microsoft. Last week, content creator Klobrille spotted that Xbox appeared to be rolling out Series X server blades across its Cloud Gaming platform. The server blades previously ran on the less powerful Series S, so players like Klobrille noticed the switch when Rainbow Six Siege was able to run at 120 FPS, something that the Series S can’t achieve.

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If you’re still depending on your Xbox One, Microsoft has announced that it intends on expanding the older console’s lifespan by letting users stream Series X/S games. Microsoft hasn’t stated when it plans to launch such a service, though.

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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/cloud gamer for IGN.

All 13 episodes of Godzilla: Singular Point are available to stream on Netflix.

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Netflix Original Anime Godzilla: Singular Point offers up a new spin on the King of the Monsters mythos, and sadly it’s a plodding, incomprehensible mess of metaphysics and exhausting exposition. Yes, despite some occasionally gorgeous art that resembles an awesome apocalyptic tapestry, this reimagining of Godzilla is a tiresome trudge featuring characters who never ever stop talking about the tedious faux science behind everything that’s happening.

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It’s been a running joke — one that’s been rekindled by Legendary’s MonsterVerse — that the Godzilla movies would be perfect if they only featured the monsters and dropped the human characters. It’s funny to indulge the idea but truthfully you need the “boots on the ground” characters to create an atmosphere that viewers care about other than rote destruction. It’s making those humans feel fun and vital and not corny that’s been the continuous challenge. Here, in Singular Point, it’s almost like they’re bending the joke backward so that the entire story is mostly people and the Kaiju are frustratingly an afterthought. It’s one thing to wait for a Godzilla reveal and it’s another to wait for more than half a season and then relegate the behemoth to a few minutes of background warfare per episode.

And all these human characters? The extremely large ensemble of heroes working to save the world from a mysterious invasion of alternate universe red dust that creates monsters and also an element that exists in both the future and the past? They’re flat, clinical, and serve as little more than unyielding spewers of scientific nonsense that drags each episode down into a monotonous spiral of monologuing.

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An enigmatic signal in the form of a song, the invasion of flying Pterosaurs (the “Rodan”), a rampaging armored dino-beast (the “Anguirus”), and a confounding cloud of crimson draw together science student Mei and smart guy Yun, a genius tinkerer at a company called Otaki Factory (who also happens to dabble in advanced A.I. and are building a world-protecting robot named Jet Jaguar). After meeting briefly, Mei and Yun will spend the rest of the season apart, texting each other from opposite ends of the world while they both explore separate yet equally uninteresting angles of the crisis. All the while, a folklore foretold world-ending Catastrophe (with a capital “C”) looms. One that’s connected to, but somehow isn’t, everything and everyone being attacked by gigantic monsters that are practically unbeatable because they can see into the future.

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This is a simplified summary of events that extend far above and beyond the realm of polite comprehensibility. Whether or not the scientific jargon being volleyed about is based on real theories or not isn’t the point (they may very well be). The point is that it’s all supremely tedious and, most of the time, completely irrelevant. The bulk of time in most episodes is spent discussing a space/time theory while monsters are raining havoc down on the planet. There’s mass destruction everywhere, but human casualties are never presented. Nor is the threat that anything bad is happening to, or will ever happen to any of the principal characters. More thought and care are put into over-explaining Archetypes (molecules from a different dimension that can transmit light into the past) and — kid you not — a MacGuffin solve-it-all called the “Orthogonal Diagonalizer.” It’s all so intricate and impenetrable that one feels it all must be based on real math, but again, that would hardly make it more interesting than freakin’ Godzilla.

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Animation studios Bones and Orange deliver wild and beautiful scenes when the Kaiju are allowed to create calamity, using the red of the multiversal dust to stain the sea and sully the air, shrouding the giant beasts with a plague-like atmosphere. When Godzilla, on rare occasions, is allowed to unleash atomic bio-weaponry, it’s stunning. There’s also some fun to be had with this series’ reinvention of Jet Jaguar, which as a robot defender who can go toe-to-fang with the smaller monsters carries the bulk of the action in Singular Point. However, the series spends way too much time presenting theories when it should be crafting compelling characters and streamlining the story.