It’s a big weekend for wrestling events. On Saturday, AEW’s Fight for the Fallen will air on B/R Live, and on Sunday, WWE will host its annual Extreme Rules PPV on the WWE Network. It’s going to be a fantastic weekend for wrestling fans.
On Sunday, July 14, you can watch Extreme Rules for yourself on PPV through your local satellite or cable provider. However, the WWE Network allows new subscribers to sign up for the service for one month free, without any obligation. So you can sign up, watch Extreme Rules for free, then cancel if you’re not into the network. Simple as that. Below, you’ll find the start time for the main card of the PPV.
Extreme Rules start times:
4 PM PT
6 PM C
7 PM ET
12 AM BST (July 15)
9 AM AET (July 15)
Like all WWE events, there will be a Kickoff Show on the Network starting one hour prior. Normally, there is at least one match on the pre-show, but as of this writing, that has not been announced yet.
In total, there are ten matches on the card, seven of which are title matches. There are a few very interesting stipulations on the card. While this is an Extreme Rules PPV, there is only one match on the entire card with that stipulation. However, to make things a bit more interesting, it is a mixed-tag “Winners Take All” bout. Raw’s champions Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins take on “Mr. Main Event” Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans. If Evans pins Lynch, then both she and Corbin win both titles, and vice versa and every combination of that scenario.
Also on the card is the handicap match between Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. If Bliss or Cross pins Bayley, they both become the champion. We haven’t had a co-championship reign in WWE for quite some time, so that could be very interesting.
Below, you’ll find the full match card for Extreme Rules, and make sure to come back to GameSpot this Sunday for live coverage of the event.
Extreme Rules Match Card:
Aleister Black vs. Cesaro
The Revival (c) vs. The Usos (Raw Tag Team Championship)
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley (Last Man Standing Match)
Drew Gulak (c) vs. Tony Nese (Cruiserweight Championship)
Ricochet (c) vs. AJ Styles (United States Championship)
Daniel Bryan & Rowan (c) vs. Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Heavy Machinery (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
July marks the start of the Summer 2019 anime season, which will continue until the end of September. There aren’t too many heavy hitters in the US this summer (with the likes of Food Wars: Season 4 and My Hero Academia: Season 4 scheduled for the fall), but there are still quite a few excellent titles to enjoy and a couple of surprise gems as well.
In the following guide, we outline the eight anime you should consider adding to your queue this season. We’ve chosen shows and movies that debut in US theaters or premiere on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hidive, Prime Video, Netflix, or Hulu during the summer.
We’ve done our best to keep this guide as diverse as possible, but most of the best anime this season are based on Weekly Shonen Jump manga or pull from shonen tropes, so expect to see a few similarities in terms of narrative structure. This is the first time a movie has made one of our guides, though, and we’ve included two brand-new original anime series that aren’t based on any existing light novels, manga, or video games. So yes, you’ll find a lot of shonen stories here, but there’s sci-fi, coming-of-age slice of life, magical girl, mecha, and historical fiction as well.
If your itch for more anime isn’t satisfied by the time you finish this guide, consider checking out our other anime guides for 2019. The links to each are listed below. We also covered Anime Expo 2019 and have compiled a list of our 10 favorite anime and anime-like games seen at the convention, nine of which are scheduled to come out this year.
Perhaps the most anticipated title in the Summer 2019 lineup, Dr. Stone is managing to meet the high expectations that fans have had for it. Dr. Stone is yet another Weekly Shonen Jump series in the evolving shonen demographic that wants to see more introspective characters that solve problems without fighting, incorporate darker themes in their stories, and have more nuanced villains. Think along the same lines as The Promised Neverland.
The story of Dr. Stone begins in the present day, with average-performing but physically fit high school student Taiju confiding in his best friend, science-loving Senku, that he’s going to confess to Yuzuriha, the girl he’s had a crush on for five years. However, just before Taiju is able to express his love, a strange light shines over the entire Earth and encases every human in stone. As time passes, Taiju is able to stay conscious through his desire to confess while Senku simply counts the seconds. 3,000 years later, the two manage to free themselves. The two decide to work together to find a way to undo everyone else’s petrification as well as recreate every scientific breakthrough that mankind has ever made in order to rebuild their society.
In terms of anticipation, Fire Force is right up there with Dr. Stone. My Hero Academia fans who are anxiously awaiting Season 4 will most likely enjoy this firefighting shonen series, which contains plenty of superpowered battles and an easy-to-love protagonist with aspirations of being a hero. Plus, the animations for Fire Force–especially when fire, flames, or sparks are concerned–are absolutely gorgeous to look at.
Created by the author behind Soul Eater, Fire Force takes place in a world where a strange phenomenon has affected certain individuals. Those in the first generation affected eventually spontaneously combust and become mindless demonic Infernals, while the second generation can control fire, and the third can produce fire and are flame-resistant. Shinra Kusakabe is a third generation able to channel fire through his legs to move at supersonic speeds. Blamed for the death of his mother and younger brother, who died in a house fire, Shinra joins an elite firefighting unit that subdues Infernals in order to find the one responsible for his family’s death.
Despite all the buzz around Dr. Stone and Fire Force, Astra Lost in Space is shaping up to be my favorite anime of the season with one of the strongest opening episodes I’ve seen in any science-fiction TV series. In the span of a single episode, the series establishes the personality of all its characters (all of whom I deeply love already), sets up an intriguing storyline, and builds a futuristic setting without any clunky exposition. It’s incredibly rare for a science-fiction or fantasy story to handle world-building so well in a first episode, and it gives me high hopes for the rest of the series.
In the year 2063, a group of high school students is set to begin summer camp–which in the future means staying on another planet without adult supervision for five days. After being dropped off, however, a mysterious sphere attacks and transports them into space over 5000 light years away. Managing to board an abandoned spacecraft, the group quickly realize they are months away from reaching their home sector of space and only have enough food and water for a few days. In order to survive, they’ll need to jump from planet to planet and scavenge for supplies on alien worlds they know little about.
After premiering in Japan, the long-awaited Carole & Tuesday anime is finally coming to the US this summer. A musical comedy, Carole & Tuesday is a beautiful collaboration of Eastern and Western art, featuring enchanting Japanese-style animation and magnificent performances by talented English-speaking singer-songwriters. The series is helmed by the director behind Cowboy Bebop and Space Dandy and features a diverse cast–including a black woman as one of the two stars.
Taking place in the future on a terraformed Mars, the anime follows the musical journey of the titular heroines: Carole Stanley and Tuesday Simmons. Carole is an orphan constantly moving between jobs she’s being fired from while trying to carve out a career for herself as a musician who plays keyboard. Tuesday is a pampered rich girl who’s fed up with her easy life and runs away from home to be a guitarist. Though the two are from completely different socioeconomic backgrounds, Carole and Tuesday forge a bond through their shared desire to create music and decide to pursue their dreams together as a singer-songwriter duo.
O Maidens in Your Savage Season tackles perhaps the most awkward part of growing up–learning about sex and managing sexual urges and thoughts–but does so in a pretty hilarious and relatable way. The first episode contains one of the funniest masturbation scenes I’ve ever seen, though I’m still trying to figure out if I was tearing up from laughter or because I could so easily empathize with the awkwardness of these teenagers as they shamefully try to hide their urges and kinks from others. Don’t be mistaken, O Maidens in Your Savage Season is good but it also jumps into the year or two in most people’s lives that we’d all rather forget. The story behind this anime is an emotional rollercoaster. For context, the writer also worked on Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day and directed/wrote Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms.
O Maidens in Your Savage Season focuses on the changing relationships among the literary club at a high school after one of the members expresses a desire to have sex before she dies. After being spoken out loud, all of the girls in the club begin to realize they’ve–consciously or not–had the same desire. Of course, teenagers being teenagers, this want of sex is mixed with exploding hormones, a longing for acceptance by peers, and a yearning for love. In their pursuits to claim what they most want, these girls will break and mend friendships, awaken gay desires, forge healthy relationships (and a few unhealthy ones), and claw their way into adulthood.
Studio Trigger’s theatrical debut, Promare, is coming to the US this summer. In GameSpot’s Promare review, I wrote, “Promare’s plot does stumble, most notably when it comes to how it builds its world and fleshes out the main cast, but it takes enough cues from what made Kill la Kill such a hit to then go out and tell its own take on why discrimination is bad and why everyone should learn to love their fellow person. Galo’s origin story of becoming a firefighting superhero is framed with over-the-top action pieces, comedy, and well-timed pieces of music, and though he delivers an incredible finishing blow in the epic final battle, it’s his evolving rivalry with Lio that gives the movie its satisfying ending.”
Similarly to Fire Force, Promare sees a subset of the population develop fire-based abilities. However, instead of devolving into mindless beasts, Promare’s Burnish are just regular people trying to live their lives and not accidentally hurt anyone. However, a subgroup called the Mad Burnish do enough damage that a special firefighting unit is put together to don mech suits and battle against the pyrokinetic terrorists. The newest member of this team, Galo, aims to extinguish all of the world’s fires and won’t stop until he’s saved his city from the Burnish threat. His actions lead to a confrontation with Mad Burnish’s leader, Lio Fotia.
An original anime series, Granbelm mixes together narrative beats from both magical girl and mecha anime to craft a story that looks good. The anime is helmed by the director behind Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World and its story is penned by the writer for A Place Further than the Universe. I’m not a huge fan of the expositional dumps when it comes to explaining the lore of Granbelm’s world, but the action scenes are all pretty top-notch, and main character Mangetsu Kohinata has a great shonen protagonist battle cry.
Granbelm takes place in a world where magic was once commonplace. However, when humanity began abusing magic for war, seven mages gave their lives to seal all of the magic away forever. In the present day, Mangetsu Kohinata accidentally stumbles into the pocket dimension where all that magic is still stored and learns she’s one of the living descendants of the mages that sealed it away–and thus one of the few people in the world who can still utilize magic. Before she knows it, she is flung into a war between all the other living descendants where the victor will be able to claim the sealed magic for themselves. Each descendant is able to magically transform through the power they wield and summon powerful mecha to channel their unique abilities into more powerful attacks.
A historical anime, Vinland Saga will appeal to those who enjoy series like Dororo, 91 Days, and Golden Kamuy. Vinland Saga is a bloody tale that cleverly utilizes fiction to fill in the gaps surrounding King Cnut the Great’s real historical rise to power. Like other historical anime, Vinland Saga is a slow burn. But it’s a phenomenal revenge-focused narrative that takes its time to build up its world before jumping into the main story. Oh, and its protagonists are anti-slavery, which I shouldn’t have to point out as a big plus, but that’s just the reality of the anime industry right now.
Set at the start of the 11th century, Vinland Saga focuses on the expanding conflict between England and the Danish invaders (Vikings) that defined the time period in northern Europe. The anime actually begins with a prologue, utilizing its first several episodes to explain how protagonist Thorfinn became the skilled fighter he is in the main story, as well as why he has such a burning vengeance to kill his commander. It’s an excellent narrative choice that adds a hefty level of suspense for first-time viewers who haven’t read the source material. Go into this anime as blind as you can. You won’t regret it.
The Legendary Pokemon Mewtwo has returned to Pokemon Go for a limited time. Following Groudon‘s departure from the game, the powerful Psychic-type is back again in Raid Battles through the end of July, and this time around, it’s donning some special armor.
To coincide with the Japanese release of Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, a CG remake of the first Pokemon movie, every Mewtwo you encounter in Raids will be wearing its armor from the film. This marks the first time Armored Mewtwo has appeared in any Pokemon game, so you won’t want to miss your chance to catch one. Along with its different appearance, Armored Mewtwo has more defensive stats and is capable is knowing different moves than its standard form.
Armored Mewtwo will appear in five-star Raids until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST on July 31, so you’ll have until then to add one to your collection. Despite its different stats and appearance, the Pokemon is still a pure Psychic-type, so your best bet is to bring along Dark, Ghost, and Bug Pokemon such as Darkrai, Giratina, and Scizor when you challenge it in battle. If your team manages to defeat Mewtwo, everyone who participated in the Raid will earn a chance to catch it.
Mewtwo isn’t the only Legendary making an encore appearance in Pokemon Go this month. As a reward for completing enough Global Challenges during the recent Pokemon Go Fest event in Dortmund, Germany, Niantic is bringing Entei back for a special Raid Day on Sunday, July 14. The Legendary will appear in five-star Raids from 4-7 PM local time, and you’ll be able to capture its Shiny form if you can come across one.
With The NPD Group publishing an updated list of this console generation’s best-selling games in the United States, it’s unsurprising that Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V remains one of the most downloaded games. Sony has revealed June’s top PS4 downloads in the U.S. and while GTA V does make the list, 2K Sports’ NBA 2K19 reigns supreme on the platform.
Nintendo made a big splash with the announcement of the Switch Lite, which is a handheld-only version of original system’s model. While this means that it’ll be limited in some aspects–no docking or detachable Joy-Con, among other things–it comes at a lower cost and a slightly smaller design. And what you can immediately see in the first photos of the Switch Lite, is a traditional directional pad.
Below, we compiled some of the important specs and features for both the original Switch and new Switch Lite for a simple comparison between the two.
Switch (original)
Switch Lite
Screen Size
6.2 inches
5.5 inches
Resolution
720p (undocked)
720p
Dimensions (H x W x D)
4″ x 9.4″ x 0.55″
3.6″ x 8.2″ x 0.55″
Weight
0.88 lbs / 399 g
0.61 lbs / 277 g
Battery Life Range
2.5 – 6.5 hours
3 – 7 hours
Graphics Processor
Custom Nvidia Tegra GPU
Custom Nvidia Tegra GPU
Internal Memory
32 GB
32 GB
Detachable Joy-Con
Yes
No
TV Mode / Docking
Yes
No
HD Rumble
Yes
No
Kickstand
Yes
No
Amiibo Support
Yes
Yes
Price
$300
$200
So, while you don’t get some notable features, like HD rumble or the bigger screen, the Switch Lite comes as a cheaper, more portable option with slightly better battery life–it’s attractive for those who would primarily play in handheld mode. However, by design, there will be a few games that won’t work with the new Switch Lite, such as the Nintendo Labo Kits; in the case of something like 1-2 Switch, you’d need to sync a separate pair of Joy-Con.
In addition to the Switch Lite reveal, Nintendo said that it has plans for a method to transfer files, useful for existing Switch owners who would move to the new system, though there aren’t any details on it quite yet. If you’re excited about the new Switch D-pad and want to see it on a Joy-Con for the original model, you might be disappointed. Those hoping for a sort of “Switch Pro” model with higher-end features should note that the Switch Lite is the only new version planned for this year. For everything else you need to know about the new system, check out our Switch Lite FAQ.
Nintendo announced the Nintendo Switch Lite, which releases September 20, 2019 in three different colors.
At a glance, the Nintendo Switch Lite features:
Smaller 5.5 inch touch screen
Lighter, all-in-one design (no detachable Joy-Con controllers)
D-pad style control pad
Improved 3-7 hour battery life
No IR or HD rumble functions
No ability to dock to TV or play in ‘tabletop’ mode
The Nintendo Switch Lite will be available in Yellow, Gray, and Turquoise for $199.99 USD.
“Adding Nintendo Switch Lite to the lineup gives gamers more color and price point options,” said Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser. “Now consumers can choose the system that best suits how they like to play their favorite Nintendo Switch games.”
This year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego is next week, kicking off on Wednesday, July 17, with preview night and continuing throughout the weekend. And as with every year, SDCC 2019 promises to be crammed full of geeky goodness, from collectibles to cosplay to panels focused on all sorts of upcoming comic book, TV, movie and video game projects.
If you need help planning your Comic-Con schedule, or if you’re going to be following along at home, here’s a breakdown of the most exciting panels at the show this year. From screenings of new DC shows to glimpses of movies like IT Chapter Two and Terminator: Dark Fate to the long-awaited reveal of what’s next for the MCU, these are the panels you’ll want to keep tabs on at the con.
We’re nearly there, folks–Amazon Prime Day 2019 is kicking off in less than a week, starting at midnight PT on Monday, July 15 and running until midnight on Wednesday, July 17. That’s a full 48 hours of deals, ranging from lightning deals that sell out in minutes to Prime Day-exclusive deals that run the entire two days (or until they go out of stock). Then there’s Target, Walmart, Ebay, and all the other online retailers shoving their way into the action with their own sales on or around Prime Day. Between all that shopping hubbub, there will be a ton of deals going around, which can be a bit overwhelming when you’re trying to get the best discount.
If the PS4 is your primary gaming system of choice, we’ll have you covered with all the best PS4 deals on games, consoles, controllers, headsets, and practically anything else that falls under the Sony sphere of influence. Most discounts will go live this weekend and early next week, but there are some PS4 deals available already that you should be aware of. Just know that most sales haven’t gone live yet, so bookmark this page and check back as we continue to curate the best PS4 gaming deals during the 2019 Prime Day bonanza.
Kingdom Hearts 3 – on sale for $20 at GameStop
Best PS4 game deals
One major gaming sale kicked off a week before Prime Day, and that’s GameStop’s storewide Summer Sale. If you follow GameStop’s sales closely, you’ll see that many of these discounts have been offered in the past, but there are still a few PS4 game deals worth noting. Plus, other retailers are already beginning to discount some games in the days leading up to Prime Day, even though their sales haven’t officially kicked off. See the best PS4 game deals available now below. We’ll be sure to update this list if lower prices become available.
PS Plus 12-month subscription – on sale for $36
PlayStation Plus deal
A PS Plus subscription is required for online multiplayer in most games; plus, it gets you free monthly games and exclusive discounts on games on PSN. At this point, it’s basically a necessity for many PS4 gamers. While 12 months of PS Plus generally sells for $60, you can sometimes find a subscription at a discount–and right now at MassGenie, you can grab a year of PS Plus for as cheap as you’re likely to find it these days: $36. To claim the deal, click the link below, and you’ll be asked to either log in or create a free account. After that, you’ll be redirected to checkout, where you’ll see promo code 12MPSPSNMC automatically applied. After the Power Deal ends, you’ll receive the PS Plus code via email, which you can then redeem in your PSN account. You can check out the PS Plus product page at MassGenie for more info.
PS4 Pro – on sale for $320 at Ebay
Best PS4 console deals
While we have a good idea regarding what kind of games will be on sale during Prime Day, console and bundle discounts are mostly a big question mark at this point. However, if you’re in the market for a new PS4 Pro, Prime Day will likely be your best chance to snag one until Black Friday. And right now, Ebay has an incredible deal on a brand-new PS4 Pro for only $320 and free shipping. This is a ridiculously low price for arguably the best console on the market, which generally sells for $400, so grab this deal fast if you’re interested.
DualShock 4 wireless controller (magma red) – on sale for $40 at Ebay
Best PS4 accessory deals
From headsets and controllers to charging docks and more, accessories can only make your gaming experience better, and they’re often crucial if you often play online with friends or enjoy local co-op. As Prime Day kicks off, we’ll include more info on the best PS4 accessory deals here. In the meantime, check out some of the early deals available now below.
So long as you don’t mind the $8 cover price, The Amazing Spider-Man #25 is a perfect jumping-on point for the series. This oversized issue kicks off the second year of writer Nick Spencer’s run. It simultaneously ties up most of the loose ends remaining from the previous 24 issues and sets a number of new stories in motion for the year to come. It both promises dark days ahead for Spider-Man while also showing just how fun and whimsical this series can be.
While this issue does feature a handful of backup stories from guest creative teams, the majority unfolds as one, continuous narrative from Spencer and artists Ryan Ottley, Humberto Ramos and Patrick Gleason. Granted, I was a little wary of that combination coming into this issue. The series has suffered a bit from the stark contrast between Ottley’s light, expressive style and the darker, more exaggerated approach of Ramos and Chris Bachalo. But somehow this issue maintains a steady flow from one artist to the next. It helps that the story is tailored directly to each artist’s particular strengths, with Ottley’s pages featuring a lighter, sillier tone and Ramos and Gleason’s shifting in a darker and more foreboding direction.
