Deal Alert: Smash Bros and Other Fighting Games on Sale

EVO 2019 just wrapped up this weekend, and what an event it was. If you, like us, enjoyed watching it and have the urge to jump into some fighting games, check out our list of games that are currently discounted at Amazon. No harm in saving a few bucks before jumping into the ring!

Get Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for $49.94 at Amazon

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One of the most ambitious fighting games you can get on the Switch, Smash Bros is a joy to play and has hundreds of hours of content within it.

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Best Deal on a New Gaming Laptop: Get an Acer Predator Helios 300 for $899 With Amazon Prime

If you’re looking for a VR-ready laptop that can handle the most graphically intense PC games on offer, the Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop is a powerful budget-friendly choice.

It’s currently $899 with Amazon Prime and $999 for non-Prime users, saving you up to $400 bucks off a typically $1300 machine.

16 GB DDR4 RAM, a seventh-generation Intel Core processor, and the award-winning Pascal-powered NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card are all packed into a sleek, 5.5 pound, dual fan-cooled machine fitted with a 144hz, 15.6 inch FHD (1920×1080) widescreen and a backlit keyboard.

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Halo: The Master Chief Collection PC Dev Talks Modding And Anti-Cheat, Shows Off Funny Bugs

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is coming to PC, and now developer 343 Industries has shared some new insight on two hot-button issues: mods and anti-cheat.

In a blog post, 343 said it continues to be in “full support” of modding games within The Master Chief Collection on PC, but there are some important details to be aware of. First, all mods must conform to Microsoft’s terms of use. Also, players must have a legally purchased copy.

“We encourage the modding community to update the games the way you see fit to play with your friends. This is something the Halo community has done for a long time and as long as it follows the Xbox Content Usage rules there should be no reason to stop,” 343 explained.

Moving on to anti-cheat, 343 said it will make use of an “industry-leading anti-cheat solution” to lessen the impact of bad behavior for games played on dedicated servers. “We are doing this in order to allow modded content to be used by the community for other game modes they would like to customize,” 343 said. “Our goals are to protect players while also providing freedom to players who mod as long as it doesn’t negatively impact others. We will have a lot more to talk about on this in the future as development progresses.”

343 did not specifically mention the name of the anti-cheat software it will use likely because doing so would give cheaters a head start on devising ways to get around the system.

343 launched the first beta test, or “flight,” in the Halo parlance for Halo: Reach on PC in July. It was promptly illegally distributed, and Microsoft was swift to threaten bans.

In other news, 343 shared a series of videos of some of the silliest bugs they encountered in development; you can see these posted below.

First Trailer For Christopher Nolan’s Next Movie Premiered Ahead Of Hobbs & Shaw

The first trailer for the next movie from famed director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, Insomnia, Dunkirk) has premiered, but there is a huge catch.

The trailer for the movie, Tenet, is currently exclusive to theatres where it is airing in front of the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. According to Variety and other sources, viewers were treated to a 40-second teaser, and the video might have been only shown in preview screenings for Hobbs & Shaw. It’s unclear when the video will be released online.

IGN has a full breakdown of what’s in the Tenet teaser. It begins showing off star John David Washington and a tagline, “It’s time for a new protagonist.” Another line says, “It’s time for a new kind of mission.” Officially, the movie is described as “an action epic in the world of international espionage.” IGN describes Tenet as potentially being something like “Inception with time travel.”

Tenet opens on July 17, 2020. The movie also stars Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Clemence Poesy, Kenneth Branagh, and frequent Nolan collaborator Michael Caine.

It’ll be Nolan’s first movie since 2017’s Dunkirk. Before that, Nolan directed Interstellar (2014), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Inception (2010), The Dark Knight (2008), The Prestige (2006), Batman Begins (2005), Insomnia (2002), Memento (2000), and Following (1998). He has been nominated for five Academy Awards.

His brother Jonathan Nolan created the HBO show Westworld with his wife Lisa Joy.

The Best Samsung Galaxy S10 Deals and Contracts in August

Finding the best Samsung S10 deals can be a difficult process, simply because of the model’s high-end status. Samsung is considered one of the leading tech providers globally, with the South Korean smartphones featuring in every mobile retail store around the UK.

There are actually plenty of Galaxy S10 deals to be found, especially on the latest Samsung Galaxy devices, such as the Galaxy S10 5G and the more affordable Galaxy S10e. The S10 5G was one of the first phones in the UK to harness the potential of 5G, and you can now use the device with spectacular 5G deals from the likes of EE and Vodafone, with O2 and Three following up with 5G coverage later in 2019.

Hobbs & Shaw Has Massive Box Office Opening; See The Weekend’s Top 10 Movies Here

The latest weekend box office numbers are in, and the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham, opened to a massive number.

The action film took in $60.8 million during its US/Canada opening this weekend, which made it far and away the biggest movie of the weekend, according to box office numbers from Entertainment Weekly. Hobbs & Shaw made a further $120 million from its overseas opening to bring its global haul to $180 million after just one weekend. As it happens, $180 million is also the estimated production budget of Hobbs & Shaw.

At $60.8 million in North America, Hobbs & Shaw performed substantially lower than almost every other movie in the series, but that is to be expected given it is a spinoff. You can see the domestic opening-weekend figures for every Fast & Furious movie posted below via Box Office Mojo.

Hobbs & Shaw is directed by Deadpool 2 director David Leitch. The movie also features Idris Elba as the villain, alongside Helen Mirren, Eiza Gonzalez, and Eddie Marsan.

The entire Fast & Furious franchise has now made more than $5 billion in box office receipts worldwide since it premiered all the way back in 2009. Hobbs & Shaw is the ninth instalment.

GameSpot’s review of Hobbs & Shaw called it “wildly fun, but very dumb.”

Elsewhere, Disney’s The Lion King finished No. 2 with $38.2 million to push its domestic haul to $430.9 million. The movie has now made $764.9 million from international markets to push its global haul to $1.195 billion. Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, meanwhile, added $20 million this weekend in the US and Canada to push its total haul to $78.8 million; the movie opens later in August in other parts of the world.

August 2-4 Domestic Box Office

via Entertainment Weekly

  1. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw — $60.8 million
  2. The Lion King — $38.2 million
  3. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — $20 million
  4. Spider-Man: Far From Home — $7.8 million
  5. Toy Story 4 — $7.2 million
  6. Yesterday — $2.4 million
  7. The Farewell — $2.4 million
  8. Crawl — $2.2 million
  9. Aladdin — $2 million
  10. Annabelle Comes Home — $875,000

Fast & Furious Franchise Opening-Weekend Box Office (Domestic Only)

  1. Furious 7 (2015) — $147.2 million
  2. The Fate of the Furious (2016) — $98.8 million
  3. Fast & Furious 6 (2013) — $97.4 million
  4. Fast Five (2011) — $86.2 million
  5. Fast & Furious (2009) — $70.95 million
  6. Hobbs & Shaw (2019) — $60.8 million
  7. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) — $50.4 million
  8. The Fast and the Furious (2001) — $40 million
  9. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) — $23.9 million

Top New Games Releasing On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Week — August 4-10, 2019

August is full of video games, and this week is a good chance to play some games you might have missed the first time around, including the Guacamelee One-Two Punch Collection, the arcade-y Damsel, and a Nintendo Switch port of Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition. There’s also a big helping of sci-fi strategy with Age of Wonders: Planetfall and mech mayhem with Metal Wolf Chaos XD.

Guacamelee One-Two Punch Collection — August 6

Available on: PS4, Switch

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If you missed out on Guacamelee 1 or 2, now’s your chance to play both wrestling Metroidvanias in one package. The luchador Juan can explore different corners of Mexico, using his wrestling moves to take down bad guys and solve puzzles. Pick up the physical edition, and you’ll get a poster and soundtrack download.

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Age of Wonders: Planetfall — August 6

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

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Planetfall is the fifth entry in Paradox’s Age of Wonders 4X series, and this one is wrapped in a new sci-fi setting. You can choose from six different factions as you undergo those four X’s: exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination. Each faction has its own strengths and weaknesses too, leading to deeper strategies.

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Metal Wolf Chaos XD — August 6

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

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From Software, known nowadays for the Dark Souls series, put out the original Metal Wolf Chaos in 2004. It’s a mech-based action game where the President of the United States suits up to take on a rebellious Vice President in his own mech. Yes, really. This HD version of the game looks better, supports 4K resolution, and features improved controls.

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Damsel — August 7

Available on: Xbox One, Switch

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Damsel is an arcade action game where your mission is to take down a corporation of of evil vampires. Damsel herself wields a shotgun and special powers, which you can use to fight monsters and rescue hostages. The game has been out on PC for some time, but this week you can revisit it on new platforms.

Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition — August 8

Available on: Switch

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Complete Edition includes Pillars of Eternity and all its DLC, and the critically acclaimed RPG is coming to Switch this week. Combat can be played in real time, or you can pause the action to take a more tactical approach. Thanks to the Switch’s portability, you could start an encounter at home and resume the battle wherever you happen to be later in the day.

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August has many more games on the horizon, and New Releases will dive into another batch next week. If you’re looking for more Nintendo Switch ports, Friday the 13th: The Game is making its way to the handheld console, and Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is launching too.

Evo: King Of Fighters 15 Officially Announced

SNK has announced that King of Fighters XV is in development. The surprise announcement was made at EVO 2019, the fighting game tournament that sees players from across the world compete to be crowned the best in a variety of games.

The announcement was just a logo of the game, along with the confirmation that the sequel was in the works. No further details on when the game would be released or what platforms it will be available for were revealed. A logo is all we’ve got, but for fans of the long-running fighting game franchise, it will no doubt be exciting.

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It’s been around three years since the last King of Fighters was released. When King of Fighters XIV arrived in 2016, GameSpot awarded it an 8/10. “With plenty of opportunities available online or off, KOF 14 is a well-executed addition to the revered fighting series,” said Matt Espineli in his KOF 14 review.

“Those disappointed in its new visuals may be unwilling to give it a chance, but if you remain steadfast in parsing through the multiple layers of its mechanics, you’ll be rewarded with one of the most accessible, satisfying entries in the series to date.”

Evo: SoulCalibur VI Adding Cassandra Tomorrow, Samurai Shodown’s Haohmaru Coming In Season 2

Bandai Namco made a number of big announcements for SoulCalibur VI during EVO 2019. Producer Motohiro Okubo appeared on the stage to first announce that Cassandra will be joining the fray as a DLC character. The much-loved Athenian warrior will be available from August 5 and looks to have the same quick but deadly fighting style, utilizing her sword and shield combination to overwhelm her opponents.

On top of that, Bandai Namco also revealed Season 2 of Soul Calibur VI, which includes a new gameplay system. While it didn’t go into detail on what exactly the new mechanic will entail, it looked to be a new counter of some sort. Okubo said that more details on Season 2 will be revealed in the future.

Season 2 of SoulCalibur VI also means a new pass to purchase and, by doing so, players will get access to four new characters. One of these characters is Haohmaru of Samurai Shodown and Samurai Spirits fame. The swordsman can currently be seen and played in the latest Samurai Shodown from SNK, which was released in June 2019 and also had an exciting tournament at Evo.

SoulCalibur VI launched in October 2018 and received favorable reviews. In GameSpot’s SoulCalibur VI review, the game was awarded an 8/10.

“SoulCalibur VI is a fighting game that’s easy to recommend,” it says. “Like all the best titles in the genre, it has a low barrier to entry and high skill ceiling. For those looking to get in a few games with friends it’s welcoming and immediately enjoyable.

“For those committed to ploughing the depths of its systems to get tournament ready, it has plenty to unpack and understand. Better still, those that want to play alone will find SoulCalibur VI has some of the most substantial single-player content in any fighting game today.”