While Miz just had a battle with Shane McMahon at the WWE PPV Money in the Bank, he and wife Maryse are wrapping up the first season of their reality series on USA Network Miz and Mrs. on May 21. Neither of them are strangers to television, with nearly 30 years combined experience on WWE programming.
18 years ago, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin appeared on the Real World, and following that, he had a career on the Real World/Road Rules Challenge, so jumping into a new reality series following he, his wife Maryse, and their newborn daughter Monroe Sky isn’t uncharted territory. Their USA Network series was actually in the works long before filming actually began. “It was actually pitched to us three years before,” explained Miz. “They saw the way we were together on Total Divas a little bit and, from there, they were like, ‘They need their own reality show,’ but I was a little hesitant because I was on The Real World about 20 years ago. I loved being on The Real World and I always thank MTV and Bunim/Murray for putting me on that show because it gave me, I feel like, everything.”
There was a stigma on reality stars the first decade the genre existed on television, as early reality TV was a lot more reality-based and a whole lot less scripted. “Hollywood looked at it as that I had no talent,” continued Miz. “Whoever is on a reality show, like, you have no talent, you’re just standing in front of a camera, and that’s who you are, and that’s what you did, back in those days. But things have changed in the world and back then, we didn’t have camera phones. We didn’t have social media. So now, everything has changed to where everything is a reality show, whether it’s YouTube, internet, Instagram, and Twitter. Everything. I know exactly what people are doing. The biggest stars in the world, I know what they’re doing because they’re on their Instagram all the time doing stories.
“So, I looked at that and I said, ‘You know what? We can make something really special here.’ And my wife and I looked at each other and we were like, ‘We really could.’ We have the family, we have the friends, and we have the support we need. And our stories are so well done and my experience on The Real World and on The Challenges, as well as being at WWE has taught me how to tell a story. How to create characters. How to make sure that you entertain an audience while being true to who you are, who we are.”
Three years later, both Maryse and Miz are executive producers on USA’s Miz and Mrs., and they’re doing the show the way they want to. “I feel like Maryse and I have made a show that both of us are very proud of,” Miz explained. “And when people watch it, the only negative thing that I ever see or ever hear is that it’s not long enough, it’s not 60 minutes, and I like the 30 minutes, though, because I think it’s fast-paced, it’s fun, and you can watch it with your whole family.”
The season finale of Miz and Mrs. airs on Tuesday, May 21 on USA Network at 10 PM. For more from the “It Couple,” check out Maryse talking about her potential return to WWE and the women’s revolution.
In 2019, Path of Exile has seen several changes that have grown the action-RPG in some exciting ways. In addition to the launch of the ambitious Synthesis update, which added in a new dynamic, loot, and new leagues to take part in, the free-to-play action-RPG finally made its way to the PS4 in March–bringing the game to all three core platforms. However, the developers at Grinding Gears Games still have a lot in store for the game, and their next major update plans to set the stage for what’s to come in Path of Exile in the years to come.
In the upcoming Legion update–releasing on PC June 7 and on consoles June 10–Path of Exile will introduce a suite of new changes and quality-of-life upgrades to the game’s meta. In addition to adding new class archetypes and a new league, there are also some unique forms of loot to find and monsters to fight. However, the most significant change is the overhauled combat system, with the intent to make melee in PoE feel more responsive and punchy.
Speaking with managing director Chris Wilson from Grinding Gears Games, he detailed what was to come with Legion, and some of the surprising lessons they learned from their last expansion Synthesis.
“Synthesis was a tricky one for us, because to some extent we may have bitten off more than we could chew in terms of complicated designs,” said Wilson. “We were pretty happy with how it went out the door, some players weren’t, so we made a bunch of improvements and were happier with it after that. Looking ahead after that, we knew we had to make melee better, and that was going to take quite a lot of extensive improvements. So are our initial plan was to do this alongside our mega-expansion, which is coming out in another year or so. We have to make a lot of updates to it so it can stand up alongside other games that are coming in the future. So we worked out a plan and managed to get it done in time for Legion. We figured instead of saving it; we would make the game better now and release it.”
In terms of scale, Legion is a bit more light in terms of large-scale content compared to the Delve and Synthesis updates–both of which added in procedurally generated maps and complex progressions systems assigned to each. While Legion has its story missions and unique enemies coming in the form of the generals, this particular update is about upgrading the game’s existing systems and improving the meta. However, as Wilson stated, the primary focus for Legion was to offer enough content for “repeatable fun”.
Here’s a quick breakdown of features coming with Legion:
Legion League: The new expansion will focus on two warring armies who fight in perpetual conflict over the course of thousands of years. Engaging in these fights can yield powerful weapons and artifacts to use for your character.
Melee Overhaul: The core combat of PoE will see some fundamental changes. In addition to changes in attack animations, speed, and flow, all attacks can be canceled before their use, allowing you greater control in combat.
The Map Device: Legion will offer an update to the existing Map Device, which allowed players to access hidden areas of the world. Previously, devices had only four slots, but in Legion, it’s possible to find devices that have five slots–greatly amplifying the effectiveness when used.
Incubation Items: In the past, Path of Exile has included numerous ways to gain new items outside of the flow of combat. With Legion, another unique way to acquire gear is through incubated items. Dropped from enemies, these unique forms of loot will gradually unlock after enough enemies have been wiped out.
New Archetypes: As a refresher, archetypes are suggested builds that allow you to mix skills from a variety of different classes. One of the new builds is the Blood and Sand Gladiator, a unique form of Duelist that can use blood magic and sand-based abilities.
Of course, this is only the just a brief rundown of some of the key features of Legion. In addition to these new features, this update will also include a whole suite of quality-of-life improvements to the atlas map, new socketed jewels, and also a substantial rebalance to monsters found in the early portions of the campaign. The Legion update is still one of many planned expansions for Path of Exile, which is gradually building to the announcement of its next large-scale expansion in November at ExileCon. For more on Path of Exile and its new Legion update, be sure to visit GameSpot in the weeks ahead.
It’s been nearly four years since Quentin Tarantino had a movie in theaters. That’s about to change, though, thanks to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. A trailer for the director’s latest film–his ninth overall– has released, showing what Hollywood in 1969 looks like through the eyes of the man also responsible for titles like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Django Unchained. Spoilers: It’s weird.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an aging movie star, with Brad Pitt playing his closest confidante and stuntman. The film intertwines multiple stories, including some that pull from actual Hollywood history, to set the stage for what an official synopsis calls “a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.”
One of those stories, which Pitt’s Cliff Booth seemingly finds himself a part of in the trailer, is the Manson family murders. In the first look at the film, Booth ends up at George Spahn’s (Bruce Dern) movie rank, where Manson (Damon Herriman) lives with his followers–Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme (Dakota Fanning) is shown in the trailer, however “Tex” Watson (Austin Butler) and Catherine Share (Lena Dunham) are among those appearing in the film.
The movie also features Luke Perry, Kurt Russell, Timothy Olyphant, Rumer Willis, Maya Hawke, Al Pacino, Damian Lewis, and Emile Hirsch, to name a few.
The release of the trailer coincides with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s premiere screening at the Cannes film festival. It will be in theaters on July 26.
Finally, you can explore the universe with No Man’s Sky, which is on sale for $37.49. With last year’s large-scale update, “Next,” and the upcoming “Beyond” free expansion releasing this summer, No Man’s Sky has come a long way since its initial launch and is worth picking up if it’s not already part of your collection.
The action-RPG Dauntless has officially launched, ending a year-long open beta. The free-to-play game is now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC through the Epic Games Store. Phoenix Labs notes that this official launch fulfills its promise of cross-platform functionality, letting you play with friends regardless of platform or take your account with you.
The launch also comes alongside several updates. A new Mastery system lets you refine your skills and achieve rewards, and each Behemoth and weapon have their own unique Mastery cards to customize. The campaign has also been revised, and the update includes the new Season 5 Hunt Pass, named Hidden Blades. Hidden Blades opens a Moon Blossom festival and unlocks a bunch of new cosmetic rewards as you work your way through the levels.
As previously announced, this update launches alongside the new Arcslayer pack. It comes with a set of mech-inspired armor, consumables, and some premium currency. Switch and mobile versions are in development but a release date for either has not been announced.
“No one has ever launched on console with full cross-play support from the start, but we believed in our vision and, thankfully, our friends at Epic Games, Sony, and Microsoft did too,” said Phoenix CEO Jesse Houston. “Keeping the community connected is one of our top priorities, and with all the new players coming in at launch, there’s never been a better time to be a Slayer in Dauntless.”
After blasting onto the battle royale shooter scene back in February, Apex Legends became a relative powerhouse among major players like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The free-to-play game brought a level of polish and shooter design skill to the genre that was lacking in some of its biggest competitors, and that made it a refreshing new entry into the popular subgenre.
That popularity has waned some for Apex Legends since its launch, partially because the early honeymoon period in which the game attracted tons of attention (and streamers) is over. Another culprit: The game’s first three-month season was lackluster in terms of content. Apex introduced a new character and a new weapon with Season 1, but little else that makes the game dynamic as a live-service title. Earning its first season’s rewards also came through as a lot of grind for little payoff among some players.
The first content season of Apex is set to wrap up in June, though–right around E3. We’re expecting to learn a lot more during the event.
What We Know So Far
A big push for Apex Legends so far has been in cleaning up issues in the game. The latest Apex patch focuses on reducing the number of crashes suffered by PC players and addresses audio problems. We’ve also seen developer Respawn Entertainment put a lot of focus on stopping cheaters in the game, while also attempting to make effective balance changes by doing things like reworking character hitboxes to make them more viable on the battlefield. As the developer has worked in dealing with those issues, it hasn’t released much in the way of new content for Apex in Season 1–but given player complaints, that’s likely to change in Season 2.
As for exactly what content is coming in Season 2, the specifics are anybody’s guess. At least one new character, known as Wattson, is expected to join the game based on past leaks. Trailers have also suggested a new weapon coming to the game to go with Wattson, as well. But nobody knows for sure at this point what Season 2 will entail, or how broad its changes to Apex Legends will be.
What’s Confirmed For E3?
During its latest quarterly earnings call, Apex Legends publisher Electronic Arts said it would announce new details about Apex Season 2 during E3–specifically, during EA Play, the public event EA throws in Los Angeles every year during E3. There are few specifics as to what that announcement will entail, but we know a few of the broad strokes. A new character is coming, as are changes to the game’s single map, Kings Canyon.
“For Season 2 you can expect a Battle Pass with more meaningful content, the introduction of a new Legend, the debut of a new weapon… and you didn’t expect Kings Canyon to stay the same forever, did you?” Respawn wrote in a post on the EA blog.
What We Hope To See At E3
It’s a little bit tough to speculate about what Apex Legends needs when players complain about a lack of “content.” For sure, we want more characters in the game–each one’s abilities and characteristics are a big part of what sets Apex apart from other battle royale games. Each one’s strengths and weaknesses add to the overarching strategy needed to win the game. But Respawn has previously said it means to take a lot of care in introducing new elements to Apex Legends, which is why balance changes and updates are somewhat infrequent. We want Respawn to continue to thoroughly test everything it does to Apex to avoid adding new issues to the game and having to roll back changes. So while it’d be nice to have more characters in Apex sooner, one per season is probably a good pace; the same is true with the introduction of new weapons.
Respawn has also suggested that Apex would see its game map evolving and changing over time, and if we can’t get lots of new weapons and characters in Season 2, we’d love to see the terrain become altered and more dynamic. The alien worlds of the Titanfall universe allow for a lot of possibilities, and speculation based on leaks has already suggested that the huge, deadly creatures who inhabit the world of Kings Canyon could get in on the action in Apex. New dangers and obstacles, as well as new places to fight and develop strategies, would be welcome additions to the base Apex Legends formula.
Apex could also stand to improve in adding more for players to do while they’re playing. Taking a page from Fortnite in this respect is probably a good idea. With each new season, developer Epic Games adds a mess of challenges to the game that help players earn experience and rewards faster. Some are simple, requiring little more than getting into fights with specific weapons, but others require exploring the map and finding strange Easter eggs that give players hints at the overall shifting nature of the game. There’s always something weird to discover in Fortnite, it seems.
Challenges would grow the replayability factor for Apex, especially if they helped give players more to strive for in earning cosmetic and customization rewards. But apart from just new skins for guns and characters, Apex could use challenges and Easter eggs to expand on the lore and story that surrounds the game, giving players cool secrets to discover that enhance their understanding of Apex’s characters and world. Respawn has hinted at the more in-depth story surrounding Apex–we know it’s part of the Titanfall universe, after all, which has quite a bit of lore of its own. At E3, we’d love to see Respawn start to push the boundaries of Apex Legends in a way that’s similar to what Blizzard does with Overwatch, telling more stories about its characters and giving players a broader look at its world.
And of course, it’d be great to see Respawn enhance the battle pass of Apex Legends to give players more cool stuff to hunt. Fun as the game is itself, solid battle passes (as well as things like challenges and other content) help hold interest in games like Apex, which keeps players returning. In fact, it’d be nice to see Respawn experiment with the battle pass formula the way it has the battle royale formula, to further set the game apart from contenders like Fornite. We’re not sure what form those experiments might take, but we’re willing to give them a shot based on how much we’ve enjoyed what Respawn has created so far.
Oh, and while it’s known that Respawn is actively trying to stamp out cheating in the game, a longer-term solution to the problem of hacks that ruin the game would make an excellent E3 bonus. Dealing with all cheaters might be wishful thinking, but if one thing would enhance the fun of Apex immediately, it’s that.
Yesterday, Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki shared a video of Sony’s demonstration of the next-gen PlayStation vs. PlayStation 4’s performance, and while the difference in loading times is significant, some fans have raised questions around what this hardware boost means for AI improvements, display resolutions, frame rates, and its ultimate price point.
In the demonstration, Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 was running on prototype next-gen hardware, which was compared to how it runs on a PS4 Pro. The video showed the new hardware loading Spider-Man’s version of NYC much more quickly and seamlessly than current-gen hardware.
For anyone who hasn’t yet got on the HBO comedy’s hype train (or hasn’t seen ads for the Bill Hader-starring series while watching Game of Thrones), Barry is a comedy series about a hitman trying to become an actor. But, in all honesty, it’s much more than that. It’s a show about trying to break out of a job you hate for something you are definitely not qualified for. It’s a show about whether or not our history defines our future actions. It’s a show about how people frame themselves as the hero in their minds even when they have no reason to believe that.
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Building a gaming PC will almost always get you the most bang for your buck—not to mention teach you a lot about PCs in the process. But as someone who has built and bought countless PCs (for myself, family friends), I know the build it yourself route isn’t for everyone.
Sometimes you’d rather have something that works right out of the box, with a number you can call if your system doesn’t boot properly. Not to mention when you go with a prebuilt system, you usually get components guaranteed to work, an interesting and/or unique chassis, and warranty support too. If this is what you’re looking for, then here is my list of the best gaming PCs you can buy right now.
