Category: Games

Marvel’s WandaVision TV show starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprising their MCU characters was very popular, but Olsen has said there won’t be a second season. Now, Marvel boss Kevin Feige has weighed in on the matter.

At the virtual PaleyFest today, Feige was asked about the future of WandaVision. He said fans can expect Wanda’s story to continue, though he stopped short of saying that will happen in a potential WandaVision season two.

“Yes to an evolution of storyline; probably and inevitably in many different capacities,” Feige said, according to Deadline.

Wanda will appear Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022, so fans are at least getting that in terms of more storytelling. But could there be more?

“That’s the first place where that story will continue,” Feige said of the Doctor Strange sequel, going on to tease, “But there will be other places.”

Asked recently about a potential WandaVision season two, Olsen said, “No. No. It’s definitely a limited series.” She said she would be “shocked” if there was a second season.

While we’ll have to wait a bit longer to know what’s next for Wanda, MCU fans can watch Loki right now on Disney+. For more on that show, check out GameSpot’s breakdown and analysis of what happened in Loki episode two.

In the more recent Fast and Furious movies, Dominic Toretto and his crew have inexplicable super strength and invulnerability. They quite literally can’t be hurt in any way–unless the story specifically calls for it–and they regularly and very casually perform stunts that totally abandon logic, physics, and common sense. We’re talking feats that would give the Avengers pause.

But this series had humble beginnings. Dom (Vin Diesel) and his “family” started out as amateur street racers and petty thieves who stole DVD players from the backs of trucks; Brian (Paul Walker) worked for the LAPD and was tasked with infiltrating the group to thwart their minor crime spree. In 2 Fast 2 Furious, Brian recruited his friend Roman (Tyrese Gibson) to help him infiltrate a different criminal group in Miami. The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, released 15 years ago to the day, introduced a completely new set of characters with no relation at all to the Toretto crew–except for Dom’s post-credits appearance that revealed his connection to Han (Sung Kang). Instead, it followed Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) as he traveled to Japan and eventually took on the Yakuza in a street-racing duel.

And that was OK. With Tokyo Drift, the Fast franchise had continued on its established road: This was a series about relatable protagonists using their considerable, but still human, street racing skills to infiltrate or otherwise contend with criminal groups of thieves, drug lords, and gangsters.

Read More: The Fast And The Furious: 15 Things You Forgot About The Movie That Started It All

Rather famously, though, the franchise almost went straight-to-DVD after Fast 3, a death sentence in the age before streaming premieres. As Universal Pictures co-president of production Jeffrey Kirschenbaum told The Wrap in 2013, “The talk internally was that the franchise was played out…At that point we were weighing whether to go straight to video or not for future sequels. We weren’t sure what we were going to do.”

What happened instead was Vin Diesel’s return to the series, along with much of the original movie’s cast; and a major tonal shift that, starting with Fast 4 and continuing to this day, gradually turned these once-humble cops and robbers into superheroes who can be flung through the air at nitrous-infused speeds and land safely on car windshields, or survive an exploding nuclear submarine by taking cover inside a Dodge Charger. Oh, and the series has made more money than anyone could have ever imagined.

The Fast and Furious movies are undeniably fun popcorn blockbuster fodder. Fast 9‘s impending arrival will be a benchmark occasion for once-habitual moviegoers who have been held back from visiting theaters by the global pandemic. In it, John Cena will join the cast as Dom’s formidable brother, the gang will use giant magnets to cause havoc on city streets, and Roman and Tej will apparently fly a car into space. And that’s just what’s in the trailers.

For all the enjoyment these movies have given us, what’s been lost along the way? Any sense of realism, certainly, and the ability to suspend disbelief if you’re the type of moviegoer who prefers things to generally make sense. Beyond basic plausibility, though, the Fast franchise has lost the intimacy that characterized the first few films. For all that they contend to be about “family,” as each movie gets bigger and crazier, adding members like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, and now John Cena, the series feels more and more like a rotating cast of superpowered movie stars locked in a never-ending struggle to somehow outdo the insanity of their previous outing.

There’s something to be said for the simplicity of the first few Fast movies, including the original, which turns 20 this month, and up through Tokyo Drift. They’re definitely tame in comparison with what the series became–remember when drifting cars up a spiral parking structure ramp seemed crazy? But they have a gritty charm that the franchise left behind when it started resurrecting dead characters through convoluted retcons, making its protagonists invulnerable to any harm, and shoehorning in more and more unbelievable stunts just for the sake of one-upping itself. Personally, I miss when the Fast and Furious movies were about scrappy street racers just living their lives a quarter mile at a time.

Starfield is an upcoming space-based RPG from Bethesda Game Studios. Positioned as the next big RPG to stand alongside Bethesda’s well-known series like Elder Scrolls and Fallout, it will be the first game out of that studio to center around a new universe in over 25 years. Bethesda first revealed Starfield in 2018, but fresh details finally surfaced after a new trailer was officially revealed at E3 2021. If you’re looking to get caught up on all the latest, take a look at everything we know about Starfield so far.

Starfield Gets A Release Date

At the Xbox and Bethesda Game Showcase at E3 2021, a trailer officially revealed the Starfield release date. It’s scheduled to arrive on November 11, 2022, and will be an Xbox console exclusive, launching solely on Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Bethesda’s Pete Hines addressed the Xbox console exclusivity in an interview with GameSpot, offering an apology and saying he gets it and totally understands if people are unhappy or pissed.

“Sorry, all I can really say is, ‘I apologize,’ because I’m certain that’s frustrating to folks, but there’s not a whole lot I can do about it.”

The Starfield Trailer at E3 2021

Bethesda showcased an in-engine trailer of Starfield at E3 2021. It centers around an astronaut, as they make their way through a ship and prepare for takeoff. After arriving in a room where they place down their gun, the trailer zooms in on a shelf labeled Stow 84S with a white case marked as Property of Constellation. The trailer then zooms in on an image taped to a wall. What’s in the image (that looks like a blueprint though Todd Howard claims it’s not) is unclear, but as the astronaut climbs into their seat, an individual from an organization called Constellation radios in and confirms the astronaut for their departure.
The narrator in the trailer says, “They say the wonder is not that the field of stars is so vast but that we have measured it. You’re part of Constellation now. Part of our family. What you found is the key to unlocking everything. This is all we’ve been working towards. We’ve come to the beginning of humanity’s final journey. That’s why we’re here – to discover what’s out there.”

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/13/starfield-release-date-trailer”]

Is There An Elder Scrolls 6 Easter Egg in the Starfield Trailer?

Fans on Reddit speculate there may be an easter egg in the Starfield trailer shown at E3 2021 that may reveal the location of Elder Scrolls 6. If you look closely at the side of the console, there’s a small etching that coincidentally resembles the shape of Hammerfell and High Rock, regions found in the continent of Elder Scrolls’ Tamriel.

Elder Scrolls VI easter egg in the Starfield trailer pic.twitter.com/AoBfrYLfNj

— MrMattyPlays (@G27Status) June 13, 2021

Starfield’s Story Is Still A Mystery

Not much other than bits and pieces have been revealed about Starfield’s mysterious protagonist and their story. We know it takes place about 300 years into the future and involves a space organization called Constellation, which feels very reminiscent of NASA. Howard calls them the “last group of space explorers.”

In a Telegraph interview, Howard confirmed that, while Constellation is the primary group players will be part of in Starfield, it is one of many groups players will encounter and can join throughout their journey.

Howard has called Starfield an “epic” and said it will “ask big questions” like, are we alone in the universe? Why are we here? What are the origins of space and time? And what role does religion play in all of it?

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”slug=starfield-behind-the-scenes-microsoftbethesda-e3-2021&captions=true”]

Starfield Gameplay Features

Starfield gameplay hasn’t been shown yet, but there are a few features that have been confirmed. The official Starfield site says you’ll be able to “create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom.” 

In a recent interview with Launcher, Todd Howard said you’ll also be able to choose your character’s background and revealed customizations can affect how your character’s story unfolds.

Howard described Starfield as “Skyrim in space” and Bethesda Managing Director Ashley Cheng called it akin to a “Han Solo simulator” where you’ll be able to “get in a ship, explore the galaxy,” and “do fun stuff.”

In the same Telegraph interview we mentioned earlier, Howard confirmed Starfield will be playable in first and third-person perspectives.

“We like that style of gameplay,” he said. “First-person for us is still our prime way of playing. So you can see the world and touch all those things.”

Keeping in theme with previous Bethesda games, players can expect to encounter NPCs, and this will include humans, aliens, and even robots. A nod to this can be found in the Starfield trailer shown at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase during E3 2021. If you look closely, you can spot a note on a blackboard to a robot named Vasco asking them to pick up some “Tranquilitea”, with specific instructions not to get decaf.

Howard said Starfield will have a world that invites players to explore, interact, and test the boundaries of the game.

“We like to put you in a world where we’re not dragging you by the nose and saying you must do x, y, and z, and that it’s okay for you want to test the [game’s boundaries],” he explained.

“You know, can I read this book? Can I pick this up? Can I do this? What if I do this?.. And the game is saying ‘yes’ a lot.”

We’re still a year and some change away from the launch of Starfield so we’re guaranteed to hear and see some more about it as we get closer. Make sure to check back as we’ll be updating this hub as more details about Starfield come out.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Felicia Miranda is SEO Editor at IGN. You can follow her at @FeliciaVagabond on Twitter.

During our Play For All livestream, we debuted a new trailer for RFM, an upcoming grid-based strategy action game. The game has a few roguelite elements as well.

As seen in the trailer, RFM is a colorful game with a cel-shaded art style and retro-futurist atmosphere. The soundtrack is pretty bangin’ too.

More Play For All Content:

In RFM, you play as Morgan, a mercenary traveling through The Bast in search of a loved one. If you happen to make a little money along the way, all the better. On your journey, you’ll encounter a unique cast of characters, who you can befriend.

In combat, RFM uses a tactical battle system that features real-time action and time-freezing strategy elements. As a roguelite, each run into The Bast will have an element of randomness, and you’ll have to decide what upgrades to work towards every time. For example, do you want to work towards improving your health or find a cool attachment for your revolver that adds an explosive AOE attack to your arsenal? The choice is yours.

RFM is scheduled to launch for consoles (to be announced) and PC in 2022.

The first trailer for Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard has arrived, giving fans the early look at what to expect for the show’s return to the Paramount+ streaming service in 2022. And for Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, it includes a very exciting reunion.

Kicking off the trailer is the return of Q (John de Lancie), a foil of Picard’s from The Next Generation who also appeared on Star Trek: Voyager. “Oh captain, how I’ve missed you,” he tells Picard (Patrick Stewart). “Welcome, my friend, to the very end of the road not taken.

The trailer then explains that time has been broken and it’s up to Picard and his crew to fix it. “We can save the future,” he says. “And I will get us home together.”

The final reveal of the trailer sees the Borg Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) awaken in a bed. However, she quickly notices one massive change: the ocular implant that’s been a trademark of the character since its inception is gone. What’s more, there’s what looks to be a variation of a Borg badge in her room. It should be pretty interesting to find out what all of that means.

Picard returns to Paramount+ in 2022.

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

enter

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Loki: Episode 2! Be sure to check out IGN’s review of the new episode.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

The second episode of Marvel’s Loki just introduced a major new character to the MCU. In the process, the show has just confirmed a popular casting theory. Sophia Di Martino is indeed playing a female version of Loki, and she’s hatching a scheme designed to upend time as we know it.

How can there be a female version of Loki? What does this mean for the trickster god’s ongoing MCU story? Let’s break down how Lady Loki has factored into Marvel’s Thor comics and how this unpredictable character may fit into the future of the Disney+ series.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/10/the-cast-of-loki-debates-trust-free-will-and-space-lizards”]

Lady Loki: A Comic Book History

In traditional Norse mythology, Loki is portrayed as a shape-shifter and a trickster who can take many forms. Needless to say, he’s not limited to manifesting as a man, or even as a human. In one of the more famous Loki myths, the trickster god takes the form of a mare and is impregnated by a stallion named Svaðilfari, which results in Loki giving birth to an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir that becomes Odin’s prize steed. As one does.

In Marvel’s comics, however, the concept of Lady Loki didn’t really arise until the 2007 Thor comic. That series is set in the aftermath of Ragnarök, a cataclysmic battle only Thor himself survives. Now reigning over the empty kingdom of Asgard, Thor sets out to locate all his fellow Asgardians, who have reincarnated in new, human bodies without their memories, to restore them to full power. That includes Loki.

Thor is surprised to find his brother now taking the form of a woman. But though Loki professes to have left her evil ways in the past, this is actually the start of her latest scheme. Colluding with Doctor Doom, Loki hijacks the body of Lady Sif and sets about a chain of events that results in Thor being banished and the Asgardians taking up a new home in Latveria.

Loki eventually reverts to his traditional, male form, but only after sowing seeds of chaos across the Marvel Universe. And that only lays the groundwork for more transformations. Loki soon dies again, returns as a child and becomes Asgard’s most unlikely hero. It’s all part of the character’s shift from overt villain to a more morally neutral agent of chaos. Because what good is a god of chaos if they’re predictable?

Does Loki Have a Gender?

While the original Lady Loki storyline dealt with Loki stealing Sif’s body, Marvel has gradually shifted away from portraying Loki as strictly male or female. Loki is now officially recognized as being both genderfluid and pansexual.

That detail was cemented in 2014’s Original Sin: Thor & Loki – The Tenth Realm. After discovering the existence of the Tenth Realm of Heven and his long-lost sister Angela, Loki takes a female form in order to blend in with these angelic warriors. Odin himself recognizes Loki’s nonbinary status at the end of this story, remarking, “My children. My son and my daughter and my child who is both.”

Loki also spends several issues of his own comic series, Loki: Agent of Asgard, taking the form of a woman as he reunites with his friend and ally Verity. Verity is the one person to whom Loki is physically incapable of lying, and this new form is a rare sign of trust and vulnerability from the erstwhile Marvel villain.

Again, Marvel is simply reflecting an aspect of Loki that’s existed in Norse mythology for centuries. Loki is a trickster who can adopt many different forms, male, female and otherwise. Far from needing to steal another Asgardian’s body, Loki can change his physical form at will.

This detail appears to be reflected in the MCU as well. The official Loki Twitter account released a promo image indicating Loki’s gender as “fluid.” Head writer Michael Waldron confirmed this is something the series will explore over the course of Season 1.

“I know how many people identify with Loki in particular and are eager for that representation, especially with this character,” Waldron told Inverse. “We worked really hard.”

How Lady Loki Fits Into the MCU

While we finally have confirmation Di Martino is playing Lady Loki in the Disney+ series, there are plenty more questions surrounding this new incarnation of the character. Has she taken this new form as part of her mysterious plan, or is this Loki from an alternate timeline where the character has always manifested as a woman?

For all we know, Di Martino’s Loki is the same character as Hiddleston’s Loki, just from a later point in the MCU timeline. Perhaps everything Loki is now enduring as a captive of the TVA is an ordeal she’s already experienced. Based on an Easter egg in Episode 1, some have speculated Lady Loki may be in league with Kang the Conqueror, with both characters attempting to weaponize time itself and destroy the TVA.

One thing does seem clear, at least. It doesn’t appear the MCU is adapting the original Lady Loki storyline and depicting Di Martino’s character as a Loki who has hijacked another person’s body. As influential as the 2007 Thor comic is, that element is generally regarded as transphobic by today’s standards.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/16/loki-just-introduced-a-major-new-comic-book-character-to-the-mcu-ign-news”]

Marvel’s recent Loki-centric comics may give us an idea of the core conflict between Loki and Lady Loki. No longer a clear-cut villain, Loki often wrestles with the idea that he’s destined to become Asgard’s destroyer. In Loki: Agent of Asgard, that fear is embodied in another alternate version of the character called King Loki. Loki’s struggle in that series boils down to a desire to rewrite his story and become who he wants, not what fate would have him become. He’s not the Prince of Lies, but the God of Stories.

Just as Di Martino was heavily rumored to be playing Lady Loki, a great many Marvel fans have speculated that Richard E. Grant’s mystery role is actually King Loki (or a similarly older and more evil version of Hiddleston’s Loki). If this theory pans out, we can probably expect Loki to face a similar dilemma in the Disney+ series. Grant’s Loki may represent Loki’s apparent fate as a cosmic destroyer, whereas Di Martino’s Loki could embody the freedom and possibilities of a story yet unwritten. Either character may represent a possible future for the Loki we know and love.

Like so many great time travel tales, Loki may ultimately be a story about the clash between free will and destiny.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

We’re finally getting details on the next game from FromSoftware, Elden Ring, after a roughly two-year span of agonizing silence following its announcement at E3 2019. The Soulsborne developer released a gameplay trailer at Summer Game Fest and provided an official launch date, and Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki sat down for an interview with IGN to go even deeper on the gameplay, the story, and what sets Elden Ring apart from the Souls series, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Bloodborne.

While Elden Ring will hit consoles and PC next year, it’s possible we may see it appearing in more media as well. Bandai Namco CEO Yasuo Miyakawa has suggested there are more plans for Elden Ring beyond just the game itself. However, don’t get your hopes up just yet for TV shows, movies, and comic book adaptations. The publisher laid out no specifics, and it could simply be a suggestion of merchandising plans.

When is the Elden Ring Release Date?

Elden Ring’s release date is currently set for January 19, 2022, on  PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. But, it will also come to the previous-gen Sony and Microsoft consoles at the same time – no word on availability for Nintendo Switch, though. If you’ve been unable to get your hands on the latest generation of consoles, you’ll be happy to hear that Elden Ring will support upgrades for players who purchase the game on PS4 and Xbox One and then upgrade to the newer consoles later on.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/11/elden-ring-release-date-and-new-gameplay-trailer-revealed-ign-news”]

What will the Elden Ring gameplay be like?

Given Elden Ring is coming from FromSoftware, it should be no surprise that it’s set to feature some grueling combat and exploration. But, from what we’ve seen in the Elden Ring gameplay trailer and learned from Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki, Elden Ring will bring some new ideas to the table that give players a lot more options.

You can still expect dangerous enemies ranging from the human-sized to the utterly mountainous, and you’ll still be dodge-rolling your way to safety while fighting back with a combination of magic, swords, spears, and other medieval weaponry. But, Elden Ring will be adding in new combat opportunities.

Rather than having certain skills attached to specific weapons, Miyazaki explains that “you’re actually able to freely interchange skills between a large variety of weapons.” He also mentioned there are something like a hundred skills in total, and there will surely be no shortage of different weapons in the game. Factoring in magic abilities as well, Miyazaki suggests, “… the build customization is going to be even richer and even more varied than before.”

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/10/elden-ring-first-gameplay-reveal-trailer”]

The way in which you can approach enemy encounters also promises to be more varied. Elden Ring’s world is a little less linear than past Soulsborne games, and to that end, approaching combat will be less linear, too. There will be some stealthier options available, like sneaking through tall grass to avoid combat or get the drop on enemies with a backstab. You  can also explore the game world to hunt down and collect enemy spirits, giving yourself an ally you can summon in combat. And if enemy spirits don’t quite do it for you, you’ll still have the option to summon other human players for cooperative play.

Traversing in Elden Ring will be a little different from the usual Souls formula. You won’t just be hoofing everywhere you go. The game does include a fast travel system, but it will also include player mounts. And, for those of you who hate not being able to get over a two-foot-tall obstacle, your character will also be able to jump.

You’ll need those faster methods of transport, too, as this is FromSoft’s biggest game yet. That scale might make it intimidating to explore, as past Soulsborne games would see you drop all of your XP if you died somewhere and you’d have to go track it down after respawning or risk losing it forever. So, to keep you encouraged to explore further and continue progressing, the game will include more ways of healing, including the ability to craft items on the fly and gather the necessary materials to do so. 

What do we know about Elden Ring’s world design?

Elden Ring will take place in The Lands Between, a  vast area to explore.  You’ll start in a linear opening area, presumably to set up the story and explain the game mechanics, but then it will broaden. There will be a lot to explore, including six key domains that are each ruled by a demigod, twisted by the power of a shard of the Elden Ring – but more on that later. That world will feature plains, mountains, and everyone’s favorite: swamps. You’ll also find castles, fortresses, and catacombs scattered around the game world, off the beaten path. 

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/14/elden-ring-how-fromsofts-largest-most-free-form-map-works-summer-of-gaming-ign-news”]

With that large map, FromSoft is giving players the freedom to approach and explore the game world how they want. Miyazaki explains ”there is an element of guidance, particularly at the beginning. There is a mainline that [players] can follow, but at any time they’re free to break off this route and to take the untrodden path.”

Elden Ring will also feature a dynamic weather system and night-and-day cycle, to help keep its world feeling alive.

The game world will also be populated by enemies and NPCs alike, all with their own stories and motives. And then, of course, some slightly anthropomorphized pots wandering about. Fortunately, Miyazaki has confirmed players won’t encounter Mimics in this game world. Unfortunately, Miyazaki only confirmed that players wouldn’t encounter Mimics “in that exact same form.” What that means is anyone’s guess.

What’s the Elden Ring story about?

With the latest reveal, we’ve learned a bit more about Elden Ring’s story. It will take place in The Lands Between some time after the destruction of the Elden Ring and the scattering of its shards, known as The Great Runes. 

Players will take the role of a Tarnished, part of a population that had long ago lost the grace of the Elden Ring and the Erdtree, which symbolized the presence of the Elden Ring. The Tarnished were banished from The Lands Between before the destruction of the ring, and they have been summoned back after the shattering of the ring. 

The Tarnished will set off with the goal of finding and defeating the demigod offspring of Queen Marika the Eternal. Each of these demigods possesses a shard of the ring and has been tainted and twisted by it. The ultimate goal for players is to collect all of these Great Runes and become an Elden Lord. Whether doing so will actually be a good thing remains to be seen.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/11/elden-ring-new-plot-synopsis-revealed-ign-news”]

Like the story in Dark Souls, much of the plot will come down to players finding and piecing together the details themselves (a little bit like piecing together the fragments of the Elden Ring, perhaps?). That said, Miyazaki has explained that the story may be easier to understand and more accessible than the story in the Dark Souls franchise.

How was George R. R. Martin involved in Elden Ring?

Game of Thrones (or A Song of Ice and Fire) fans may have hoped that George R.R. Martin wrote every line of dialog in Elden Ring, but his responsibilities lay largely in shaping the lore and mythos of the game world. So, while not everything will feel like you’re playing through a Martin narrative, you will still be inhabiting a world he dreamt up. 

In contrast to past Soulsborne games, Martin’s worldbuilding took place prior to FromSoft’s development of game systems, so the gameplay should be more informed by the game world than before. Martin also played a part in creating the main bosses of the game. Each Demigod has their own mythos and lore behind them, and it’s from that background that their new, tainted forms have stemmed. 

Even if Martin didn’t write every character interaction, Miyazaki suggested Martin “brought things to the table that we couldn’t have done by ourselves, in terms of that rich storytelling and that sense of character and drama.”

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”slug=elden-ring-gameplay-trailer-4k-screenshots-summer-of-games&captions=true”]

Is there anything else exciting for Elden Ring?

While Elden Ring will hit consoles and PC next year, it’s possible we may see it appearing in more media as well. Bandai Namco CEO Yasuo Miyakawa has suggested there are more plans for Elden Ring beyond just the game itself. However, don’t get your hopes up just yet for TV shows, movies, and comic book adaptations. The publisher laid out no specifics, and it could simply be a suggestion of merchandising plans.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark

After months of “will they, won’t they” speculation, Microsoft and Bethesda have confirmed that its upcoming RPG Starfield will be an Xbox Series X|S and PC exclusive. And though this may be frustrating for PlayStation owners, Bethesda’s longtime marketing boss Pete Hines says he understands this is disappointing, and apologized.

“If you’re a big fan of stuff we make and a game that we’re making is no longer available on your platform I totally understand if you are unhappy or pissed. I get it, those are all real feelings and frustrations,” Hines said in an interview with GameSpot.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/13/starfield-release-date-trailer”]

“I don’t know how to allay the fears and concerns of PlayStation 5 fans other than to say, ‘Well, I’m a PlayStation 5 player as well,’ Hines added. “And I’ve played games on that console, and there’s games I’m gonna continue to play on it. But if you want to play Starfield? PC and Xbox.”

“Sorry, All I can really say is, ‘I apologize,’ because I’m certain that’s frustrating to folks, but there’s not a whole lot I can do about it.”

Starfield is Bethesda’s first original RPG in 25 years. Director Todd Howard has described it as ‘Skyrim in space,’ though stressed that its brand of sci-fi will be grounded in reality.

Bethesda has long been a multi-platform developer, though its games typically run best on PC. But after the blockbuster acquisition where Microsoft purchased ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion, there were questions about whether or not future games from the whole of ZeniMax will be Xbox and PC exclusives.

The E3 press conference, at least, seemed to indicate that whatever new titles are in the works, whether it’s Starfield from Bethesda, or Redfall from Arkane, will be coming exclusively to Microsoft’s platforms.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/06/14/bethesdas-pete-hines-on-starfields-graphics-and-redfalls-player-abilities-weapons”]

A bulk of Microsoft and Bethesda’s E3 press conference leaned heavily on Xbox exclusives that will also be coming to Xbox Game Pass on Day One. And it seems Xbox will leverage exclusives and bring its new-gen gaming experience to PC, smart TVs, mobile phones, and even older Xbox Ones.

Check out IGN’s own interview with Pete Hines for deeper dives into Starfield and Redfall. For more from E3 2021, check out everything announced at Xbox’s E3 press conference, and how the exclusivity drought is over for Microsoft.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor.

It’s rare to have an original action movie in the superhero-saturated landscape of 2021. But while The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is a sequel to a script that wasn’t based on an already existing IP, it still feels like a stretch to call it original. If you disliked The Hitman’s Bodyguard then this sequel barely improves on it, although it does ambitiously aim to be entirely unlike any other movie simply by being so derivative and out-and-out weird that you might think it’s an okay “WTF” watch. 

Returning to the action-packed and familiar world of Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds), a one time AAA licensed bodyguard — if you’re wondering why we mentioned his license status, it’s actually and bafflingly a key part of the plot — whose life was turned upside down in the last movie, the hero is now struggling to deal with his new status quo as an unlicensed bodyguard. He’s in therapy, he’s on sabbatical, and he’s hating it. But he need not worry as Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek), the wife of his old client/enemy Darius Kincaid (Samuel L Jackson), needs his help. Darius has been kidnapped and while that seems like a movie-length mission to fill the 99-minute run time, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard has no interest in a single narrative or even making a modicum of sense. All this sequel cares about is a high body count, outrageous sex scenes between Jackson and Hayak, explosions, and whether Michael will get his bodyguard license back… really.

As the central trio follows their world-ending MacGuffin to many beautiful locations around Europe, you can see why three of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces took on this lackluster script. Who doesn’t want an all-expenses-paid European holiday? That’s the only relatable part of the film, though. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard doesn’t have the heart or ridiculously sincere power of a Fast and the Furious film but also doesn’t have the action chops of a John Wick. It seems most indebted to classic action flicks like Die Hard and the back catalogs of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme but it does not nearly have the range, script, or action set pieces to deliver. Instead, this feels like the kind of film you’d put on Netflix on a Saturday and spend most of the time going “did you just see that?” to anyone else watching as the stakes and silliness get higher and higher. 

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”slug=the-best-action-movies-on-netflix-right-now&captions=true”]

Samuel L Jackson and Ryan Reynolds should be a match made in unexpected team-up heaven. But Reynolds is given a script that makes him Deadpool without the mask, smart mouth, or cool regenerative powers, a twist that would have upped the quality of this movie exponentially. So while he should be the straight man to Jackson’s outlandish (and rather entertaining) hitman, he is, instead, just a zany guy full of quips who loves being a bodyguard more than life itself. Hayek is let loose in the most extreme version of the “fiery Latina” stereotype you’ve ever seen. She’s clearly having the most fun out of everyone, but like most of The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, it’s unclear whether it’s meant to be an SNL-level parody of what Hollywood action films are or if this is just what the creators think they could get away with. 

There are moments of absolute madness where you wish the team had committed fully to the bonkers balls to the wall film they clearly wanted to make at some point. The final act offers a few legitimate laughs but also relies on pure nonsense to get us there. The film is at its funniest when Michael becomes victim to the horny hit-people he’s been saddled with, a sort of weasely punching bag for their strange sadomasochistic romance. Antonio Banderas also delivers some solid ridiculousness as the arch-villain that someone in the movie describes as “if Liberace f****d a pair of curtains,” which also sums up the level of humor the film delivers. 

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/13/hitmans-wifes-bodyguard-official-trailer”]

Whether or not you like The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard will likely not be determined until the final joke of the movie, which is so wildly surreal and odd that I wanted to see the version of the movie which fit with that final ridiculous gambit. If it gets you laughing then maybe this sequel has found a fan, or maybe you’re just in shock, who knows?