Necrobarista, a long-awaited visual novel with a lot of style and an anime-inspired aesthetic, has finally confirmed a PC release date–and it’s close. The game will release for Steam and GOG on July 22, while console players will have to wait a bit longer–a Switch and PS4 release is planned for 2021.
The game is set in Melbourne, Australia, and features full 3D environments and characters to explore in first-person, and it’s aiming for a cinematic feel. It’s set in a cafe where the dead are able to return and interact with the living–but only for one night.
The soundtrack has been composed by Kevin Penkin, who previously worked on Florence.
In 2019, the game made GameSpot’s round-up of the best games of PAX Australia. It is being translated into thirteen languages beyond English, too, including Korean, Arabic, and Russian.
The game’s Steam page also promises an appearance from Australian bushranger and icon Ned Kelly, which should be interesting.
Composer Sarah Schachner is returning to the Assassin’s Creed series for Valhalla this year, working alongside another Assassin’s Creed veteran, Jesper Kyd, for the game’s music.
Schachner has now shared one of her songs from the soon-to-release Valhalla EP, Out of the North. The track, “The Sceptred Isle,” is slow and brooding, featuring harmonizing vocals and leaving you with a feeling of both dread and awe. Or at least that’s what I hear. It sounds like something out of Game of Thrones or The Lord of the Rings.
Schachner told Collider of her music for Valhalla, “My score for Valhalla portrays the different cultures of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons but also merges the two together, reflecting the Vikings’ evolution as they invade and conquer, then integrate into Anglo-Scandinavian society and even convert to Christianity.”
For The Sceptred Isle specifically, Schachner said she was attempting to blend both cultures and foreshadow their violent history. The lyrics, meanwhile, come from an old Norse runestone.
Schachner also composed music for Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s Creed Origins; more recently, she composed the score for 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. As for Jesper Kyd, he composed the music for the original Assassin’s Creed game, along with Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations. Einar Selvik, meanwhile, is the former drummer of the metal band Gorgoroth and the current singer of Norse band Wardruna.
For lots more on Valhalla, check out GameSpot’s new hands-on impressions in the video above. You can also read Jordan’s interview with narrative director Darby McDevitt and assistant level design director Laurence Letalien about Eivor’s mysterious identity, the interwoven story, and more.
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One of the big changes for EA Sports UFC 4 is that the game has dropped the Ultimate Team mode that featured in some previous entries. It was a seemingly surprising move, given Ultimate Team was featured in UFC 2 and UFC 3, and, across EA’s wider sports catalog, Ultimate Team mode is a lucrative money-maker that brings in millions of dollars from microtransactions every year. In a blog post, creative director Brian Hayes explained EA’s reasoning for the change in more depth.
Hayes acknowledged that it might be surprising to learn there won’t be an Ultimate Team mode in UFC 4, and it’s a decision that EA Sports took care to consider before making a call.
Starting off, the sport of MMA does not involve a team, but instead one fighter. Fighters have coaches and trainers, but only two people step into the octagon to compete. “So Ultimate Team, as a concept, has struggled to fit and resonate in the context of MMA,” Hayes said. “We spent lots of time and resources in UFC 2 and UFC 3 to make it fun and engaging, but the feedback we received directly and through player data was that it still isn’t as engaging as we intended for it to be.”
Hayes also shared that EA’s own player data shows that UFC players generally didn’t have much interest in the UFC Ultimate Team modes from UFC 2 and UFC 3 compared to EA’s other sports games. “Lots of people played it and some still do–but the large majority of our fans prefer to spend their time elsewhere. That fact is loud and clear through our game data and couldn’t be ignored,” Hayes said.
The math “just doesn’t make sense” to support Ultimate Team mode in UFC 4 when looking at the number of people who play it and the amount of time and resources it takes to support it.
“Even to port it from UFC 3 to UFC 4 without any material changes or improvements required significant time and effort, let alone revamping the mode to make it more fun and engaging,” Hayes said.
“So we made the decision to refocus those resources toward new features and updates we hope all our players will enjoy,” Hayes said.
EA has made a series of gameplay improvements for UFC 4–like dynamic striking and updated takedowns and grapples–along with changes to make progression more unified across modes. Still, Hayes said he feels for the people who enjoyed Ultimate Team modes in UFC games from the past.
“If you were, or are, an avid UFC Ultimate Team player we understand that this isn’t good news, and if you’re disappointed, I apologize,” Hayes said. “Even though it’s a smaller group of fans, we know that those fans enjoy the mode and it is not easy to take that away.”
UFC 4 launches on August 14 for PS4 and Xbox One. Everyone who pre-orders gets exclusive fighters Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, along with customization packs for the Backyard and Kumite. EA Access subscribers can start playing on August 7.
Captain America actor Chris Evans might be finished playing the American hero, but the actor is not done doing good deeds for people in need. Evans has sent a heartwarming video message to a young boy whose story of saving his sister from a dog attack and sustaining serious injuries went viral.
On July 9, six-year-old Bridger Walker from Wyoming stepped in when a young German shepherd mix lunged at his 4-year-old sister. While protecting his sister, the dog mauled Bridger’s face, and he was hurt so bad that he needed a two-hour surgery and 90 stitches.
“I read your story. I saw what you did. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of this over the last couple of days. But, let me be the next one to tell you, ‘Pal, you’re a hero,'” Evans told Bridger in his video message, which you can see below. “What you did was so brave, so selfless, your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother. Your parents must be so proud of you. I’m gonna track down your address and I’m gonna send you an authentic Captain America shield, because pal, you deserve it. Keep being the man you are, we need people like you. Hang in there, I know recovery might be tough. But, based on what I’ve seen, I don’t think there’s much that could slow you down.”
Anne Hathaway also responded to Bridger’s story, writing on Instagram, “I’m not an Avenger, but I know a superhero when I see one. I can only hope I’m half as brave in my life as you are in yours, Bridger. Wishing you an easeful recovery, and many cool looking rocks.”
Deadpool’s creator, Rob Liefeld, continues to believe that Deadpool 3 may never happen. He told Collider in a new interview that another movie might not be made, and he’s OK with that.
“You know what? There may not be another Deadpool, and I’m fine. Because I have to live with the fact that I had two amazing experiences, two movies I’m extremely proud of, I love knowing everybody on those movies,” Liefeld said. “I love Ryan [Reynolds], Josh [Brolin], Zazie [Beets], David [Leitch], Tim Miller. All of them. The work they did was fantabulous, those movies are here to stand the test of time. You know, but in the world we live in, nothing is guaranteed. And it takes a lot to make movies. And post-quarantine, it’s weird.”
“People just need to chill out and realize that, dude, Deadpool 1 and 2 were released within two years of each other, 2016 and 2018, and I just can’t… I’m not really that crazy about Marvel’s plan right now,” he said.
In 2019, Deadpool 2 director David Leitch said Disney was trying to think of a plan to keep making Deadpool movies, but nothing was decided yet. “There’s a lot of mystery still surrounding what they want to do with Deadpool in [Disney’s] Marvel world but I think, from discussions that I’ve heard, it’s all positive,” he said. “I think that they’re just trying to figure a way in as Deadpool’s hard.”
As for Disney releasing an R-rated Deadpool movie, Disney chairman Bob Iger confirmed that the studio will “continue in that business,” following Disney’s acquisition of Fox.
“We do believe there is room for the Fox properties to exist without significant Disney influence over the nature of the content, meaning that we see that there is certainly popularity amongst Marvel fans for the R-rated Deadpool films, as a for instance,” he said. “We’re going to continue in that business, and there might be room for more of that.”
Peacock is here, adding thousands of hours of content on top of the already endless list of things we have at our disposal to watch. The streaming service comes from NBCUniversal and features a ridiculous amount of TV shows and movies to consume. Where do you start, though?
First of all, take a look at everything already leaving Peacock. Many of the blockbuster films that might have drawn you to the service will be departing shortly, even though the service launched widely today. Combine that with our overall thoughts on Peacock and you might question whether it’s worth trying out at all. If you’re like us, though, and you need a complete set of streaming services to choose from, there are quite a few excellent moves for you to delve into on the service.
Below, we’ve come up with the 20 movies most worth watching right away. Some of these you’ve likely seen many times before but are always worth another viewing. Others, though, might be new discoveries for you to enjoy. Whatever the case, you’ll have plenty to watch while you wait for The Office to finally be added in full.
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1. All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records
If you were a child of the ’80s or ’90s, chances are you are at least somewhat familiar with Tower Records. The iconic chain music store had locations around the world before online music became a thing and it was eventually driven out of business. This documentary, directed by Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star–and noted son of Tom Hanks–Colin Hanks, digs into the store’s history, its expansion throughout the ’90s, and its eventual bankruptcy. If you’ve never seen this documentary, it’s more than worth your time and shows just how devoted people were to this chain, including some of the biggest stars in the music industry.
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2. American Psycho
Before Christian Bale played Batman, he portrayed a fictional serial killer named Patrick Batemen in this very weird and entertaining 2000 adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel. Bateman is an investment banker with a dark side who brutally murders people at random, usually while dancing to ’80s pop music and spouting music trivia. The film is told from his point of view, as he searches for meaning.
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3. Back in Time
What better series of movies to do a documentary on than Back to the Future? Back in time is loaded with new interviews, plenty of behind-the-scenes stories, and a deep dive into what made this franchise so special.
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4. Fletch
Sure, these days Chevy Chase is best known for playing horrible human being Pierce Hawthorne on the TV show Community. In the ’80s, though, Chase had quite the film career, including the National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise. Fletch is some of his most entertaining work. It’s a comedy in which he plays a news reporter and master of disguise (Not really, he just puts on costumes and pretends to be other people) trying to get to the bottom of a millionaire’s plot to have him killed. It’s absurd and very funny.
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5. Universal monster movies
What would a streaming service from NBCUniversal be without the Universal monsters? Peacock is filled with classic Universal monster movies, from Dracula and Frankenstein to The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Abbot and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There’s even an entire section of the service dedicated solely to these classic films.
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6. Highlander
There can only be one! The 1986 film about a sword-wielding immortal named Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) launched a franchise that included multiple movie sequels and several TV shows. Only the first movie is available, but it’s worth watching–especially if you love battles to the death.
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7. Howard the Duck
This is obviously the most important Marvel movie of all time. Who needs the Avengers when you have Howard the Duck? Yes, long before he was an Easter egg in Guardians of the Galaxy, Howard the Duck had his own movie, and it’s somehow wonderful and terrible all at once. The plot is utterly ridiculous: Howard is propelled from his duck-filled world to Earth, where he agrees to manage a rock band. Then he finds out why he’s really there: to stop a laser from destroying his home planet. Watch this movie and marvel (get it?) at what comic book movies were back in 1986.
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8. I Am Big Bird
Ever wonder what life was like living inside of a giant bird puppet? This documentary explores the life of Caroll Spinney, the man who portrayed Big Bird on Sesame Street from 1969 until 2019, performing both in-costume and the character’s voice. It’s a fascinating look at the person behind one of pop culture’s most iconic figures.
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9. King Ralph
While you may know him as the dad from Roseanne/The Conners, or the guy from 10 Cloverfield Lane, or even Walter from The Big Lebowski, John Goodman also starred in 1991’s King Ralph. In the film, the entire British royal family dies in a freak electrocution accident, and American lounge singer Ralph Jones (Goodman) winds up becoming the King of England. Is it a ludicrous setup for a film? Absolutely. Is it a funny movie? Absolutely.
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10. Man on the Moon
Jim Carrey’s performance as Andy Kaufman is spellbinding to watch in this biopic that studies the comedian’s career. Whether he’s wrestling Jerry “The King” Lawler or assuming the alter ego of lounge singer Tony Clifton, it’s hard to look away from Carrey as Kaufman in this movie.
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11. Matinee
Peacock really does love John Goodman. In Matinee, King Ralph himself stars as a movie producer trying to mount a preview of his B horror movie in Florida during the Cuban missile crisis. While set during a very serious and troubling period, this comedy is ultimately very funny–and at points truly bizarre thanks to director Joe Dante (Gremlins, Small Soldiers). If ever you’ve wanted to see Goodman get punched out by someone in a mutant ant costume, this is the film for you. And if you haven’t wanted to see that, it should probably be on your list now.
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12. Psycho
The horror classic is one of many Alfred Hitchcock films available on Peacock. You can also watch The Birds, Rear Window, Vertigo, and Rope, among many others.
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13. Reservoir Dogs
Before Pulp Fiction, this was the movie that put Quentin Tarantino on the map. Shot on a small budget with an A-list cast, Reservoir Dogs is one of the most interesting heist movies you’ll ever see. What makes it so interesting–and cheap to make–is that you don’t actually see the heist. Instead, you see the planning and then the aftermath when it all goes horribly wrong. Rather than focusing on the actual heist, Reservoir Dogs is a character study as you watch these relative strangers fall apart when their seemingly perfect plan doesn’t work out.
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14. Silent Running
Silent Running, which was released in 1972, is never included in discussions about the best sci-fi movies and that’s a serious mistake. It’s set in a future where all plant life on Earth is dead and a botanist (Bruce Dern) tends to some of the last existing vegetation on what is essentially a space station connected to a commercial freight ship. Things take a drastic turn when he learns the plant life is to be destroyed and sets out to protect it at all costs.
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15. Sleepaway Camp
You won’t find much on Peacock from the slasher subgenre of horror films. However, the first Sleepaway Camp movie is there and if you’ve somehow never seen it before, get ready for a wild ride. It’s a familiar story of teenagers at a summer camp where bodies start piling up, but the journey is a fun one and it led to sequels. While you won’t find those on Peacock, they are on Shudder.
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16. The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is the found footage movie that all other found footage movies aspire to be. From the moment the first trailer for this film premiered before screenings of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, audiences were terrified of whatever was going to happen on-screen. The end result is a low budget horror movie that remains absolutely terrifying to this day. Peacock also has the non-found footage sequel, Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows. You can skip that one, though.
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17. The Bourne Identity
The first Jason Bourne movie remains the best Jason Bourne movie. The Bourne Identity introduced Matt Damon as the action star nobody knew he could be. Playing Jason Bourne, a man with amnesia and incredible fighting skills that many people seem to want dead, Damon and director Doug Liman created a gritty and violent action film that launched a franchise–and a theme park stunt show.
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18. The Matrix
Of course, you’ve seen The Matrix. Everybody has seen The Matrix. You’re probably one of the unfortunate souls that sat through sequels to The Matrix too. And when The Matrix 4 hits theaters, you’ll line up to see that too. That doesn’t mean you should stop rewatching the original, though, and Peacock has it ready and waiting for you. The sequels are also there but don’t do that to yourself.
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19. The Mummy
Sure, you could watch the old Mummy movies where he’s one of the Universal monsters. Instead of that, though, you should watch Brendan Frasier fight the Mummy. What movie hasn’t been improved by having Brendan Frasier in it? This take on the Mummy, which is more action than horror, is fun and is ready to stream on Peacock–along with 2001’s The Mummy Returns.
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20. You’re Next
2013’s You’re Next is a thrilling and inventive horror movie in which a house full of people is being taunted by home invaders as they are picked off one-by-one. Produced on a tiny budget and released just a couple of months after The Purge, You’re Next wasn’t the box office smash it deserved to be. Thankfully, though, it can find a new audience on Peacock.
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Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company
The Madden NFL 21 player rating reveal week continued on Wednesday with the announcement of the next 99-rated player and other ratings from the professional football game.
Aaron Donald of the LA Rams is the latest 99-rated player, and for the achievement, EA sent him a custom-designed “99 Club” trophy designed by Brian Madden and a “99” diamond pendant created by Jason of Beverly Hills. A Los Angeles artist, Gabe Gault, also contributed to the celebration by creating a new art piece of Donald. You can see all the goodies in the gallery below.
Donald is just the latest 99-rated player for Madden NFL 21, following Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey. Donald is the first defensive player to receive the honor this year.
More player ratings will be announced later this week.
Donald is a true powerhouse in the NFL, and this is reflected in his 99 rating for Madden 21. He also ranks No. 1 for overall strength, power moves, and pass rushing. You can see the rankings in the images below.
Madden NFL 21 is coming on August 28 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It will also be coming to the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X, with free upgrades for current-gen owners through EA’s Dual Entitlement program. For more details, check out our Madden NFL 21 pre-order guide.
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The Skate 4 development team has added a very big name. Dan McCulloch, the former head of Xbox Live and longtime Microsoft veteran, has joined EA to become Studio GM for the Skate development team.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Skate for over a decade, and now I’m honored to be part of that amazing community,” McCulloch said on Twitter where he announced the news.
Today, I’m incredibly excited to share that I’m going to be joining the SKATE family @EA as Studio GM. I’ve been a huge fan of @skateEA for over a decade, and now I’m honored to be part of that amazing community. Be on the lookout for more information coming in the future! pic.twitter.com/mY9Jm1afkW
Xbox boss Phil Spencer congratulated McCulloch on the move. “I’m really happy for that he’s realizing a dream of leading a team building a game. Now Dan, Skate isn’t just any franchise for many of us, this is important….focus :-)” Spencer said in his own tweet.
Creative director Cuz Parry and game director Deran Chung, both of whom worked on the original Skate games, are coming back for the new one, while EA is hiring more senior staff for it as well.
Skate 4 does not have a release date or confirmed platforms yet, but Skate 1-3 all released on PS3 and Xbox 360. A Wii spin-off, Skate It, released in 2008.
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Jerry may be the butt of Rick’s jokes, and the rest of the Smith/Sanchez family for that matter, but he still occasionally has his moments and time to shine. Now that the family is back together in season 4, Jerry is trying his best to be less pathetic, and not show his weak side around them, but it still leaks through. With that said, here are the Jerry-est Moments of Rick and Morty Season 4!
It was nice to see him finally save the day in the season finale, and in hilarious fashion. What were some of your favorite Jerry moments? Let us know in the comments below.
A recent update to Overwatch has removed one of the cosmetic sprays that players can tag onto surfaces as the cowboy gunslinger McCree. The spray in question depicts a rope tied in the shape of a noose, and it has been replaced by a horseshoe that says “bad luck.”
While developer Blizzard has not said anything publicly about the decision to remove the spray, it appears to be a part of a widespread reckoning with racist and racially-charged imagery in media. The image of the noose has long been associated with the lynchings of Black men in the United States, and it’s been in the news recently due to the discovery of a noose in the stall of Bubba Wallace, a Black driver for Nascar.
Overwatch has come under fire for its cosmetics in the past, with one of Pharah’s skins drawing fire for its Native American imagery. Some fans have also called for Blizzard to remove the game’s explicitly police-themed skins for characters such as Brigitte and D.Va, but there’s been no movement on that front as of yet.
In other Overwatch happenings, the game’s latest event offers special rewards for Sigma, one of the game’s many tanks. If you complete 9 wins with Sigma, you will obtain his new legendary skin, Maestro Sigma.
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