Information about Shin Megami Tensei V has reportedly leaked by accident, including a potential November 11 release date and various gameplay details.
According to a ResetEra thread (via Persona Central), the game’s official Japanese website mistakenly updated to reveal details about Shin Megami Tensei V. Alongside the possible November 11 release date, the leak holds information about the game’s characters, demons, and narrative setup.
The Story’s Impetus
The protagonist’s name wasn’t revealed, but the leak suggests they are an ordinary high schooler who stumbles into the desert dimension of Da’ath. It’s here where they fuse with a “mysterious man” (a la Jujutsu Kaisen) to become an entity known as “Naobino” to battle against gods and demons.
A Desert World Of Some 200 Demons
Da’ath, according to the leak, is a world where “desert is found all over” and home to massive demons. Da’ath also houses “over 200 demons,” with several of them being newly drawn by character designer Masayuki Doi.
Gameplay wasn’t specifically outlined, but it seems players will take advantage of the protagonist’s fusion with the “mysterious man.” According to the leak, Da’ath is an “untamed land,” requiring the player to clear out powerful demons vying for control by “growing the power of Naobino and sometimes utilizing the power of the demons themselves.” It also seems the game’s ending could “diverge in many ways,” but this wasn’t outlined.
What Else Leaked?
Other details from the leak include a “Forbidden Naobino box” limited edition of Shin Megami Tensei V. The bundle features the game’s charm, an item resembling Naobino, and the official soundtrack.
In other Nintendo news, the company announced plans to host a Direct E3 2021 livestream on June 15 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. The 40-minute presentation will focus on games mostly releasing this year on Nintendo Switch, so there’s a possibility Shin Megami Tensei V could show up.
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While The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’s “true story” may be extremely loose at best, it does pull elements of another very real phenomena that swept through pop culture in the 1980s. The Satanic Panic, as it came to be known, described a specific type of moral outrage that was stoked by everything from fundamentalist groups to concerned parents well into the early ’90s. In fact, it even persists in some ways today, though the form it takes has changed overtime.
The following contains spoilers for The Conjuring: The Devil made Me Do It, so please proceed with caution.
When things really begin to diverge from the source material in The Conjuring 3, we learn that Warrens have identified a curse placed on the Glatzel family, left by a Satan-worshiping witch. Said curse invited the demon into their home that attacked Julian and then wound up possessing Arne, which lead him to commit the murder the story revolves around. Naturally, none of this happened in the real case–there was no heretical totem hidden in the house’s crawlspace, no string of related ritual murders, and of course, no villainous witch for Lorraine to fight with psychic powers.
What did exist at the time, however, was a pervasive and all consuming fear of all those things. The Satanic Panic was “officially” kick started in North America with the publication of a now-discredited book called Michelle Remembers, which presented a falsified case of a woman named Michelle recounting her experience being ritually abused by Satanists. The story was written by a Canadian psychiatrist named Lawrence Pazder and his wife, Michelle Smith, who claimed they got the details from Michelle by using recovered-memory therapy. The success and outlandish claims of the book made it wildly successful, to the point that Pazder even began giving lectures and training to police in order to identify and stop “SRA,” or Satanic ritual abuse.
The sudden rise in awareness of SRA resulted in a wave of reports of suspected child abuse at places like preschools and daycares, all of which were suddenly suspected of being run by Satanists. These allegations were frequently taken to court–some cases, like the now-infamous McMartin preschool trial–drug on for years, but ultimately resulted in no convictions being made and no evidence of any ritualistic behavior taking place, Satanic or otherwise.
The hysteria soon spilled out away from places like schools and preschools and SRA activity was soon suspected in cases of animal abuse and mutilation. This idea soon snowballed into a fear that any fantasy stories or games, specifically newly introduced pastimes like Dungeons and Dragons, which often included fighting with or against monstrous animals, were inspiring anyone who played them to take part in SRA. In 1985, things had gotten so out of hand that a concerned parents group called B.A.D.D, Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons, was formed in response.
Practices of Christian “psychotherapy,” literal exorcisms, and “anti-Satanic warriors” running support groups for people who believed they were potential victims of SRA began to crop up all around the country. Conspiracy theories about world-wide networks of Satanic cults organizing secret trafficking networks to torture, mind control, and abuse children–even turn them into Satanic sleeper agents who could be activated by code words–began to filter into the mainstream.
It wasn’t until the late ’80s, after several highly publicized trials began to peter out with lack of evidence and no convictions, that the public and media perception of the Satanic Panic began to turn from fear to skepticism. Ultimately, in a study conducted by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, it was found that of the 12,000 reports of SRA made during the height of the hysteria, absolutely no evidence was turned up pointing towards Satanic cults or ritualistic abuse.
Of course, in the fictional world of The Conjuring, however, things aren’t so easily debunked. In The Devil Made Me Do It, we see an alternate universe where not only is the Glatzel family case literally rooted in actual demons, it is also a literal and very real case of SRA. There may not be a legit cult involved–it’s just one, very determined Satanist witch–but the end result is the same. She’s aiming to hurt a kid, summon a demon, and gain more power, the fact that the kid was exorcised and the demon wound up hopping to another person is where the drama really starts to unfold.
It really makes you wonder what the rest of the world looked like at the time in this alternate reality–and what sort of nefarious magic groups like B.A.D.D. would actually begin to uncover if given the chance.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is currently streaming on HBO Max and in theaters in select cities.
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E3 2021 is fast approaching, which means that game showcases, both as part of E3 and E3 adjacent, are going to be happening. Microsoft always has a big presence during E3, unlike Sony, which stopped attending in 2019 and will not be attending in 2021, and this year is no different. Xbox and Bethesda will be having a joint showcase on June 13, and while no games were confirmed to be present, the key art for the presentation teased both Halo Infinite and Starfield. There are a number of games coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One that are confirmed to be appearing at E3 2021 and you can check out the full list of titles below.
The Xbox and Bethesda showcase isn’t the only place where Xbox games can and will show up during E3. On June 5 and 12, the Guerrilla Collective will have two showcases, which will feature over 80 indie games across the two shows. Xbox is one of the sponsors of the event and regularly gets indie titles on the console and on Xbox Game Pass through its ID@Xbox program, so there will probably be some indie titles coming to Xbox during the presentations.
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The June 12 Guerrilla Collective showcase will feature the Wholesome Direct, which features cozy and feel-good games. Moonglow Bay, a voxel fishing game, is set to be at the show and has already been confirmed to be coming to both Xbox and Xbox Game Pass later in 2021. Devolver Digital is set to have a showcase on June 12 and will be making an appearance at Summer Game Fest on June 10. Devolver is publishing Shadow Warrior 3, which is set to release in 2021 on Xbox.
On June 9, EA will be revealing the next Battlefield title, and based on previous titles, it will probably be coming to Xbox platforms. In addition to that, it has been rumored that the new Battlefield might be coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch. There are multiple other Xbox titles that have been rumored and might make an appearance at E3, like Forza Horizon 5, which is rumored to be set in Mexico and to be launching in 2021. Another rumored Xbox game is a fantasy RPG developed by IO Interactive, the developers of Hitman. The game is rumored to be exclusive to Xbox.
Microsoft itself has a number of announced titles in the pipeline that could make an appearance at the show. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, the new Perfect Dark, Fable, and State of Decay 3 all have been announced to be in development at Xbox Game Studios but very little has been shown of any of these titles so Microsoft could show off some gameplay or provide updates. There is also Avowed from Obsidian, which was originally announced to be a 2022 title, that could have a gameplay reveal at the show. Bethesda also has a number of studios that could make announcements, like MachineGames, the developers of Wolfenstein, which is confirmed to be developing an Indiana Jones game.
Of course, none of those games are guaranteed to make an appearance at the E3 2021, but plenty of other titles coming to Xbox are. You can also check out the full E3 schedule and the list of all E3 games confirmed. Read on for the full list of confirmed games coming to E3 and the surrounding events; we’ll continue to update this as more are announced.
All The Xbox Games Confirmed For E3 2021
Batora: Lost Haven
Beasts of Maravilla Island
Black Book
Chernobylite
Death Trash
Death’s Door
Endling
Eternal Cylinder
Halo Infinite
Kitsune Tails
Kung Fu Kickball
Lamentum
Loot River
Moonglow Bay
Onsen Master
Run Die Run Again
Sable
Series Cleaners
Severed Steel
Shadow Warrior 3
Starfield
Trifox
White Shadows
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Former Cleveland Indians outfielder and the sports world’s heartthrob Grady Sizemore will be MLB The Show 21’s first 3rd Inning boss. Each Inning program gives players a chance to score rewards through packs by playing the game, rewarding them with more ballplayers for their Diamond Dynasty team as well as other goodies across the game’s modes.
In order to acquire a boss, you have to hit an XP threshold and win them via a special card pack. The bosses represent the characters at the very peak of their abilities, which for Grady Sizemore was his 2008 season. During this season, he was a member of the 30-30 club, hitting 33 home runs and stealing 38 bases. He subsequently dealt with lingering injuries that caused him to miss a significant amount of playing time. Also, he once shattered a light with a foul ball when I saw him play the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Prime-era Grady Sizemore will certainly add some pep to the top of your lineup, and he also won a Gold Glove for his fielding work in 2008, so you’ll have the gaps locked down.
Diamond Dynasty is essentially the MLB The Show series’ take on the Ultimate Team modes found in EA Sports games, having you collect cards that you can also spend real money to acquire more quickly. However, cards are also used for other modes, including the RPG-like Road to the Show, in order to equip stat-boosting perks and gear. Extra Stubs currency is available for real money and is occasionally awarded during regular play, allowing you to choose which type of pack you want next.
MLB The Show 21 is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, and it’s free via Xbox Game Pass.
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has revealed some of his inspirations for the upcoming sequel, and they might not be what you’d expect.
He told Vanity Fair that the late chef and traveller Anthony Bourdain and the fictional adventurer Indiana Jones were two of his inspirations for the sequel. Stephen Strange and Bourdain are obviously very different in a lot of ways, but Bourdain had an “intense intellect” not unlike Strange, Waldron said.
“I gravitated toward Anthony Bourdain,” Waldron said. “Strange is an elitist as a neurosurgeon and a sorcerer. Anthony Bourdain was a man of the people, but there was that intense intellect. You always felt like he could eviscerate anybody with his words at any time. But yet, Anthony Bourdain never really punched down. That was the first ingredient in the stew for Doctor Strange.
“Anthony Bourdain had been everywhere, seen everything,” he added. “What surprises you at this point? I think for all of the heroes in the MCU, in a post-Endgame world, how do you rally yourself to fight the stand-alone movie villains after you fought Thanos?”
Waldron was also inspired by Indiana Jones. For Waldron’s money, Doctor Strange is basically “Indiana Jones in a cloak.”
“He’s a hero who can take a punch,” Waldron said. “That’s what made those Harrison Ford heroes so great. Those guys get their asses kicked. Look at Stephen Strange in the first movie. He’s really getting beat up but he’s very capable and everything.”
Waldron’s friend, Rick and Morty’s Jeff Loveness, remarked that Waldron wanted to write a “really great Indiana Jones-esque blockbuster,” and that’s what he said he achieved with In the Multiverse of Madness.
What’s more, Waldron spoke about the pressure he feels to give Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff a good story in the Doctor Strange sequel. “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t gonna let my friend down,” he said of WandaVision creator Jac Schaeffer. “I can’t sh** the bed because she did such a great job. So we had a lot of conversations. Getting to continue Wanda’s story was amazing.”
In other news, Waldron also recently said that In the Multiverse of Madness is “visually thrilling” and will be “unlike anything you’ve seen in the MCU before.”
In the Multiverse of Madness comes to theaters in 2022. It’s directed by Spider-Man’s Sam Raimi, who took over for Scott Derrickson after he dropped out due to creative differences.
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For the last two decades, some of the biggest gaming news and reveals have come during the Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3. the yearly video game industry trade show, where the newest titles and products are on full display. Many for the first time. But even though the show has drawn 10s of thousands of people to its convention centers every summer, the show itself has gone through a whole lot of changes during this 27 year-long run… well, 26 if you exclude the canceled one last year. So let’s take a look back at the history of E3 and maybe laugh at all the dorky 90s outfits.
The world of Critical Role is coming to the real world in miniature form thanks to WizKids, which can help elevate your Dungeons & Dragons games. Recently hitting store shelves, there are plenty of beasts and characters you may want to add to your collection, including a 10-inch tall one.
The Udaak is quite the large and in charge beast and barely qualifies as a “mini” as it comes in at 10 inches tall, towering over your characters. It has a clear base, so you can see what’s going on in the battlefield as well. One of the more vicious beasts of Wildemount, it has the ability to swallow your adventurers whole, and you’ll have to fight your way out in order to make it puke.
In the second box of monsters, you can get your hands on seven beasts you may fight during your Wildemount journey.
Sahuagin Warlock of Uk’otoa
Sea Fury
Gearkeeper Construct
Gloomstalker
Merrow Shallowpriest
Moorbounder
Swavain Basilisk
For more information on all these beasts–like hit points, AC, etc–you can get all their stats in Dungeons & Dragons: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount. All the info is in there, and it’s currently on sale on Amazon for $23. It’s a solid addition to your D&D gaming if you want to run a Critical Role campaign.
Additionally, you can get a closer look at some of the monsters of Wildemount below, one of which gives you a better idea as to the scale of Udaak–it’s huge.
EA and DICE will formally announce the new Battlefield game on June 9, but ahead of that, what appears to be some screenshots from the military shooter have emerged.
The images were posted to Imgur. They show off what may be the first look at gameplay, and perhaps most notably, the images seem to suggest that the game is set in the modern day or near future, as had been rumored. One of the images contains a disclaimer about pre-alpha footage, so even if these images are real, they may not be representative of the final product. One particularly dramatic image shows what looks like a sandstorm overtaking a city; another screen shows a player in a tank moving through a city at night.
EA has begun to tease the new Battlefield game by sending a viral message to influencers that says, “War is the only way home.”
The new Battlefield game, whatever it’s called, will be formally announced on June 9. It remains to be seen if it will show up at E3 2021 days later, however. Electronic Arts is not formally attending the show, instead opting to host its own EA Play Live event in July.
A rumor has suggested that the new Battlefield game could come to Xbox Game Pass. In that case, and if it’s at E3, it could potentially show up at the Xbox briefing–but this is only speculation.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson recently hyped the game, saying, “I think it’s going to be huge. Battlefield is such a great franchise. It’s been a number of years since we’ve been in the market with that game.”
Avengers Campus is finally open at the Disneyland Resort’s Disney California Adventure. With a new ride, plenty of character experiences, and a long list of foods to try, it should keep anyone visiting pretty busy for the duration of their stay. For eagle-eyed Marvel fans, though, there’s a whole other layer of immersion thanks to a surprising amount of Easter eggs hidden throughout the land.
Obviously, when it comes to Marvel, you expect hidden references to various corners of the universe. At Avengers Campus, though, everywhere you look there is probably a secret nod to something–and not even just other Marvel characters.
The land is filled with a variety of Easter eggs referencing MCU movies, but also Pixar and Disney movies, as well as retired Disney theme park rides and experiences. There are so many, in fact, that it would be nearly impossible to catalog them all unless you had the land to yourself for months on and to go over every inch with a microscope.
GameSpot sadly didn’t have months. However, we did get the chance to visit the expansion during a media preview and were able to find a number of well-hidden and very fun Easter eggs. Take a look at the 15 best we could find below. Then, when you visit Avengers Campus yourself, let us know in the comments what your favorites are.
Avengers Campus is open now at Disney California Adventure.
1. An Avengers-sized snack
The Shawarma cart in Avengers Campus is an Easter egg unto itself, nodding back to the post-credits meal the heroes enjoyed in the first Avengers film. However, the cart is also covered in newspaper clippings, notes, and photos referencing a number of things in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so study it carefully.
2. Damage Control
Spread around Avengers Campus are crates marked “Damage Control.” That, of course, is a group referenced in both Agents of SHIELD and Spider-Man: Homecoming–they’re the government operatives that arrive to clear up the alien wreckage at the beginning of the movie.
3. Miles Morales
Though he’s yet to appear in the MCU, Miles Morales is one of the most popular Marvel characters around these days (thanks to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse). And he’s also a student at the Worldwide Engineering Brigade (WEB), which is home to the new Spider-Man ride, it turns out. On the side of the WEB Slingers building is a massive piece of graffiti with Miles’ tag on it.
4. Remnants of SSR
There is a story behind Avengers Campus. In the land’s canon, the location was originally a Stark Industries complex that also happened to serve as a base of operations for the Strategic Scientific Reserve. The SSR was a precursor to SHIELD that was created to battle HYDRA and included members like Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, and Edwin Jarvis. While the SSR is long gone, you’ll still see some of their markings left on buildings if you’re paying close enough attention.
5. The parking spots
There are a few places around the campus still marked from the compound’s SSR days, including parking spaces for Peggy, Howard, and Jarvis. You’ll have to go out of your way to find them, though.
6. A claw machine stuffed with Easter eggs
In the pre-show area for WEB Slingers, there’s a claw machine on the left side of the room. In it are a number of Easter eggs, including a Captain Marvel Funko Pop, a Big Hero Six Baymax toy, a tiny green alien from Toy Story, and a pair of 3D glasses from It’s Tough to Be a Bug, the primary attraction from A Bug’s Land–which was closed in 2018 to make room for Avengers Campus.
7. The LEGO Death Star
Also in the pre-show, you may notice a LEGO Death Star on a shelf. In theory, that’s the same one Peter and Ned were building in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
8. These WEB kids look familiar
You may also recognize some of the WEB kids working on WEB Slingers. Obviously, Peter Parker is involved. However, you can also see that Harley Keener (the kid from Iron Man 3) is there, along with some new (but very familiar) characters. In the comics, Lunella Lafayette is Moon Girl, Doreen Green is Squirrel Girl, and Onome is a child prodigy from Wakanda who became a member of the Future Foundation. All of the characters also appear in the ride’s pre-show.
9. Squirrel Girl’s bike
Since they are students there, it should come as no surprise that their belongings are also laying around. One of the more notable touches is Squirrel Girl’s bike–complete with an acorn-shaped bag–in the bike rack.
10. Harley’s potato gun shenanigans
In Iron Man 3, Harley showed Tony a super-powered potato gun he built. Evidently, he hasn’t given up on his favorite invention and it’s dangerous enough to warrant a sign in the WEB Slingers line queue.
11. Very colorful lockers
Elsewhere in the queue, you’ll see a collection of WEB student lockers–many of which belong to a variety of Marvel characters. Among the kids at WEB are the aforementioned Miles Morales, America Chavez (Miss America), Harley Keener, and so many more.
12. Some clever cleaning supplies
Even the cleaning supplies in WEB Slingers are Easter eggs. There are nods to characters Monkey Joe, Wal Rus, and Goom. Our favorite, though, is the can that says WDI 1401. This is a reference to Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), with 1401 representing the group’s office address, 1401 Flower Street, Glendale, Ca.
13. A Hawkeye Easter egg
Hawkeye hasn’t even premiered yet, but there is a nod to the series. As you leave WEB Slingers, check out the sticker above the exit door. Lucky Dog’s Pizza is a reference to Clint Barton’s dog Lucky, who will be seen in the series.
14. A nod to California Adventure’s past
When getting your condiments at Pym test Kitchen, don’t forget to look up at the giant-sized ketchup and mustard bottles hanging from the ceiling. They are labeled Bountiful Valley Farms, which is a reference to a farming area in the original iteration of Disney California Adventure. It was closed to make way for A Bug’s Land, which itself was demolished to build Avengers Campus.
15. The Incredible Hulk Tree
We saved the best for last. This particular Easter egg was actually pointed out to GameSpot by a member of Walt Disney Imagineering. The Incredible Hulk tree is on the side of the WEB Slingers building. It’s a massive tree compared to those around it and if you look behind it, you’ll see why. There are gamma radiation pipes on the side of the WEB building, seemingly dumping the substance into the soil. While the young geniuses polluting the soil in Avengers Campus is probably not the best idea, it has resulted in one gigantic tree.
A new piece of official art from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been revealed, which features the main cast drawn in the classic style of old-school Marvel comics.
Reportedly given to cast and crew as a gift, the faux comic cover art features Wanda Maximoff in her new Scarlet Witch costume, plus Doctor Strange and his companion in the mystic arts, Wong. And then, on the right of the image, we have what is our first-ish look at the MCU’s America Chavez.
Played by Xochitl Gomez in the upcoming movie, it looks like the MCU’s America will retain the iconic jacket with stars-and-stripes motif. Chavez is often drawn about to throw a punch in Marvel art, too, and that’s captured here.
