Atari’s long in-the-works new console, the Atari VCS, is set to launch on June 15, the company announced. Via Game Informer, the Atari VCS will retail for $300, with a bundle including two controllers retailing for $400. Bundle purchasers will be able to choose between two colors, Black Walnut or Onyx. The base version of the console comes only in Onyx. The console will be available via Best Buy, GameStop, Micro Center, and the official Atari VCS website.
Third-party controller maker PowerA created two new controllers for the Atari VCS: one inspired by the classic Atari 2600 joystick, and a more modern game controller that Xbox and PlayStation players will instantly be familiar with. Both controllers are wireless, charge via USB-C, and sport rumble functionality as well as LED lights. Each controller will retail for $60.
Atari’s new console may look retro, but it’s built to be a modern multimedia machine. More than a dozen modern games–including Atari’s own Missile Command: Recharged–will come included with the console, in addition to 100 classic Atari 2600 and arcade games. Users also get access to Antstream Arcade, a game streaming service with a large collection of retro games available.
Users can also access apps for almost every major streaming service, including Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube via the console, and it includes a built-in Google Chrome browser and access to Google’s Workspace apps. Windows, Ubuntu Linux, and Chrome OS can be installed on the Atari VCS, effectively turning it into a mini-PC.
Specs-wise, the machine is capable of 4K resolution and HDR. It sports an AMD Ryzen processor and has internal storage with expansion capabilities, and also features Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.0, and dual band Wi-Fi support.
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E3 2021 has nearly arrived, which means we’ll soon be seeing dozens or even hundreds of new games spread across numerous events, showcases, and livestreams. Many of these (like Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest and Devolver’s stream) aren’t technically part of E3, but for the purposes of gaming fans, it makes little difference: June is when we’re going to see a ton of new games and new looks at previously announced ones. But just which games are actually going to be present at these shows?
Well, that’s where things get a little tricky. The list of what we know will be at E3 is rather thin. Whether that’s because of the unusual all-digital nature of this year’s show, a general lack of leaks, or some other factor, the end result is that we should be in store for some surprises during this year’s show.
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But to help you set expectations, we’ve assembled a list of the games that we do know will be showing up either during E3 itself or the surrounding events. Much of what’s outlined below will be featured during the Guerrilla Collective’s two streams, which are set for June 5 and June 12, but there are several other titles that have been confirmed to be showing up at E3 in some fashion, including the reveal of the new Battlefield.
Other events are complete wildcards: a Nintendo Direct has been confirmed for June 15, but aside from the fact that it will focus primarily on 2021’s lineup of Switch games, we don’t know what will be included. Metroid Prime 4? The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2? We sure hope so, but it’s anyone’s guess as to what will be featured or if any of it will be running on the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro.
Even the Xbox/Bethesda event–despite now featuring the games that would be included at two different E3 showcases–is a huge question mark. Based on the teaser artwork, Halo Infinite and Starfield will both be making appearances, and we’ve included them in the list below on that basis. With Infinite releasing this year, it’ll surely be shown off prominently, but Starfield–and its potential exclusivity to Xbox and PC platforms–remains a game that we know virtually nothing about, so any new information about it would be exciting.
In addition to the list below, we have an E3 press conference schedule to help you keep on top of when things will be happening, as well as a Play For All schedule that includes GameSpot’s plans for the month; we’ll be revealing exclusive looks at a number of games during our own livestreams later in the month. If you’re less concerned with what’s definitely going to happen, be sure to give our E3 wishlist and E3 rumors roundup a look.
Read on for a look at all the games that’ll be at E3–we’ll continue to update this list as more are confirmed.
Games Confirmed For E3 2021
AK-Xolotl
Aeon Drive
Akatori
Amber Isle
Anno: Mutationem
Archvale
Batora: Lost Haven
Battlefield
Bear and Breakfast
Beasts of Maravilla Island
Behind the Frame
Black Book
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Blooming Business Casino
Chernobylite
Death Trash
Death’s Door
Demon’s Mirror
Despot’s Game
El Paso, Elsewhere
Elderand
Endling
Eternal Cylinder
Fire Tonight
Ghostrunner
Grime
Halo Infinite
Happy’s Humble Burger Farm
Hello Neighbor 2
Industria
Kitsune Tails
Kraken Academy
Kung Fu Kickball
Lamentum
Loot River
Moonglow Bay
Moroi
My Lovely Wife
No Longer Home
Omno
Onsen Master
Ooblets
Paralives
Phantom Abyss
Potion Craft
Rawmen
Rubi: The Wayward Mira
Run Die Run Again
Sable
Serial Cleaners
Severed Steel
Shadow Warrior 3
Slime Heroes
Starfield
Super Space Club
Tamarindo’s Freaking Dinner
The Gecko Gods
The Legend of Tianding
The Light Bringer
The Light of Darkness
Tinkertown
Trash Sailors
Trifox
Unmetal
Unpacking
Venice 2089
White Shadows
Wolfstride
Ynglet
Zodiac Legion
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Hot on the heels of the news that Venom is getting a new ongoing series in November, Marvel Comics is also revealing a brand new Hulk comic. As it turns out, current Immortal Hulk writer Al Ewing and Venom writer Donny Cates will be trading places in 2021.
The new series, simply titled Hulk, features Cates charting a new course for Bruce Banner and his dangerous alter ego. Joining Cates is none other than Invincible artist Ryan Ottley, with Venom’s Frank Martin providing colors. If you thought Hulk’s world was violent before, the new series may just be taking that destruction to a new level.
The new series looks to be altering the dynamic between Bruce Banner and the Hulk once more. Marvel’s press release teases Banner may have finally found the “radical” solution to controlling his transformations, implying it may be one that permanently takes Hulk off the table. But will that solution have unintended consequences for the Marvel Universe? Better the Hulk you know than the one you don’t.
“Marvel just gave me the keys to the strongest one there is,” Cates said in Marvel’s press release. “Haha… oh boy. You guys are just not ready for this. You’re about to find out what happens when Ryan Ottley and I get angry….and guess what? Well…pretty sure you’re gonna like us a lot when we’re angry.”
Ewing and artist Joe Bennett are currently wrapping up their lengthy run on The Immortal Hulk, which is slated to conclude with issue #50 on September 1. Hulk will debut in November, the same month Ewing, Ram V and Bryan Hitch kick off their new Venom series.
As with Venom, Marvel will give Hulk fans a taste of the new series on Free Comic Book Day (scheduled for August 14). Free Comic Book Day 2021: Avengers/Hulk #1 will feature a new short story leading into Cates and Ottley’s series.
In other Marvel news, the publisher has big plans for the X-Men franchise this summer, including the debut of a brand new X-Men team and the launch of Jonathan Hickman’s next X-book, Inferno.
The Dark Portal to Outland may have just opened, but many players in one of the world’s top World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic raiding guilds have already reached level 70.
According to Wowhead, a five-man group consisting of members of the guild Progress have claimed the title of world-first level 70s in Burning Crusade Classic, with player Hacez hitting the milestone first. Other members of Hacez’s group hit 70 shortly after. The total time to hit the game’s newly released level cap was about 13 hours.
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The group achieved the feat by stockpiling completed quests at level 60 and turning them in as soon as Burning Crusade Classic launched for some quick experience. From there, the group spammed dungeons for hours on end until hitting level 70. Progress is said to already have more than enough level 70s to begin running the game’s new 10-man and 25-man raids, putting it well on its way to achieving world first clears of Karazhan, Gruul’s Lair, and Magtheridon’s Lair.
World-first feats are apparently nothing new for the guild, which achieved several world-first titles in WoW Classic, including clearing the game’s final and most-challenging raid, Naxxramas, in record time.
Burning Crusade Classic brings big changes to Blizzard’s classic MMORPG, including a whole new world to explore, the addition of flying mounts, and the introduction of the ever-popular Arena PvP mode. Some of the developers behind the game recently reflected on the landmark expansion’s lasting impact, saying the team’s decision to take a “really big, bold” step with the introduction of a whole new world for players to explore set the pace for all of World of Warcraft’s expansions going forward.
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During the ’80s, Kenner produced a line of Ghostbusters toys based on the original Real Ghostbusters cartoon. Now, Hasbro is re-releasing select toys from the line at Walmart. This includes the greatest toy toilet ever made, Fearsome Flush.
The Real Ghostbusters Kenner line was known for some out-of-the-box figures, like a football player that turned into a ghost or a friendly old lady that turned into a ghost. However, nothing seemed more haunting to a child than a toilet that has the capability to eat you while you’re doing your business.
Hasbro sent us a few of the brand-new Kenner Classics Ghostbusters toys for us to check out. This includes the Ecto-1, Bug-Eye Monster, and of course, Fearsome Flush. Check out what you need to know below along with some ordering info.
Hop on the train to yesteryear with the Ecto-1. It’s made of hard plastic, begging you to smash it against your old Crash Test Dummies cars to prove that the Ecto-1 is the superior cartoon automobile. The driver and passenger doors open up and can fit two Kenner Classics Ghostbusters figures. You could also toss one in the seat on top of the car. I guess the fourth Ghostbuster could ride in the trunk–alone. Sorry, Ray Stantz.
The back door opens up as well and is multi-functional. The chair from the roof can fit in there, so your Ghosbuster can fire it’s weapons at spooky ghosts chasing down the Ecto-1. Additionally, there’s a claw inside the back which you can use to grab spectres and drag them behind the car.
The re-release of the Bug-Eye Ghost is exactly as you remember it. It has two movable arms and no other points of articulation. However, the star of the show is the third eye that pops out on the ghost. All you have to do is smash the back of the ghost with your hand and the eye pops out.
Finally, there’s the toilet monster. Remember the toilet monster known as Fearsome Flush? It’s a toilet that’s roughly to scale with the rest of the Kenner Classics Ghostbusters figures. Imagine playing and deciding Ray Stantz needs to use the water closet. He sits down on the toilet, and it turns out to be a spooky ghost! Fearsome Flush has some wheels below it, and as you push it, the seat and back tank open up revealing the ghost.
One of the things that’s really cool about these toys is the packaging. It feels straight out of the ’80s, with the classic cartoon imagery all over the purple cards. Check out the packaging below, along with some more images of the toys. And yes, this includes Fearsome Flush in normal “toilet mode.”
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All of these new Kenner Classics Ghostbusters toys are available for purchase at Walmart. Additionally, there are more in the line you can pick up, including Slimer, Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, Winston Zeddemore, and Egon Spengler.
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Nintendo has finally confirmed the date and time of its E3 2021 Direct. The 40-minute presentation will take place on Tuesday, June 15, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, the final day of E3. In Nintendo’s announcement, it said that the presentation will focus “exclusively on [Nintendo Switch] software, mostly releasing in 2021.” The presentation will be followed by the Nintendo Treehouse Live show, showing off three hours of gameplay.
Nintendo E3 Direct Start Time
The Nintendo Direct for E3 2021 will be live on June 15 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Similar to previous Nintendo Direct events, the show will most likely move from announcement to announcement quickly, offering a mix of indie, third-party, and Nintendo first-party titles. While Nintendo said that the show will focus mostly on games releasing this year, however, Nintendo said the same thing about its direct in February and announced Splatoon 3 for 2022, so expect a few surprises.
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How To Watch Nintendo E3 Direct
The video will be embedded above when it’s available and will be live on GameSpot on June 15. Nintendo has not officially said where to watch the stream, however, Nintendo Direct events are typically streamed on Nintendo’s YouTube channel.
What To Expect
Nintendo is a notorious wild card when it comes to E3 announcements and this year is no exception. There are numerous rumors floating around about an upgraded Nintendo Switch, however, the announcement specifically states that the direct will focus only on software, so if the new Switch is real, it probably won’t be announced here.
E3 2021 runs from June 12-15 and is one of several gaming events this summer. The schedule so far includes Geoff Keighley’s Kickoff event on June 10, followed by Ubisoft Forward on June 12. The Xbox/Bethesda briefing is slated for June 13, with Razer’s event following on June 14.
Last week, we asked YOU to help us decide which of 149 of the most popular Shonen anime protagonists is the very best. After thousands and thousands of 1v1 battles with matchups like Goku vs. Naruto Uzumaki and Monkey D. Luffy vs. Gon Freecss, the ultimate winner has been chosen.
So, who claimed the top spot in the battle of the greatest Shonen protagonist ever? Drumroll please…
With an 81.8% win percentage, Fullmetal Alchemist’s Edward Elric claimed the top prize by securing victory in 34,085 of the 41,675 battles he was in.
Goku, one of the most popular and recognizable anime protagonists, earned second place with an 80.7% win percentage, while Naruto Uzumaki secured third place with an 80.3% win percentage. Rounding out the top 10 were Vegeta, Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Tanjiro Kamado, Izuku Midoriya/Deku, All Might, and Alphonse Elric.
Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon Ball, My Hero Academia, and One Piece each had two heroes in the top 10, while Demon Slayer’s Tanjiro Kamado rose through the ranks to be the newest character to be in the top 10.
Taking last place, with a win percentage of only 20.7%, was World Trigger’s Chika Amatori. She just narrowly beat out Ranma 1/2’s Akane Tendo for the last spot by 0.4 percentage points.
Rounding out the bottom were Tiger & Bunny’s Barnaby Brooks Jr., Major’s Goro Shigeno, Hikaru no Go’s Akira Toya, Ranma 1/2’s Ryoga Hibiki, Slayers’ Gourry Gabriev, Ranma 1/2’s Ranma Saotome, Eyeshield 21’s Sena Kobayakawa, and The Prince of Tennis’ Ryoma Echizen.
Ranma 1/2 comprised three of the bottom 10 Shonen protagonists, while sports-themed heroes Sena Kobayakawa, Ryoma Echizen, and Goro Shigeno also didn’t fare too well.
Are you wondering where your favorite Shonen protagonist landed, like maybe Shigeo Kageyama? (He took spot #37!) For all the rankings, you can check out the full list of where all 149 Shonen anime protagonists who competed in this Face-Off ended up.
Every year, WWE releases wrestlers for a variety of reasons. In 2021, many layoffs happened on April 15, seeing fan favorite wrestlers exit the company like The IIconics and Samoa Joe. Reasons for these releases are rarely given and WWE typically wishes them the best on their “future endeavors.”
WWE fans saw more mass releases on May 20 and June 2. The latter saw one of the company’s top superstars, Braun Strowman, get “future endeavored” along with Aleister Black–who was in the middle of a huge push. Both of these were quite head-scratching moments.
While this is a bummer to the average fan–seeing your favorite wrestler no longer working with WWE–there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. This is temporary. 2020 saw numerous layoffs from WWE as well, and many of those wrestlers found success outside of the company.
Below, you’ll find all the WWE wrestler releases throughout 2021, including a few stand-alone moments where a superstar requested his or her release. What you won’t find here are releases from backstage, including referees, production, etc. We’re focusing this list entirely on wrestlers.
Walmart Deals for Day is returning later this month, and it’s directly competing with Prime Day 2021, which Amazon confirmed earlier today will be June 21 and 22. Walmart Deals For Days will start earlier and run longer, going from June 20-23, according to CNET. The annual sales event will include both online-only sales via Walmart.com as well as in-store-only deals, with discounts across categories like electronics, toys, home, fashion, and beauty.
Unlike Prime Day, Walmart shoppers don’t need a membership to score deals. The retailer has teased some of the deals that will appear during its Deals for Days sale, which is promoted as “Black Friday-like savings.” According to CNET, Walmart Deals for Days will include the following discounts and more:
Walmart isn’t the only retailer looking to compete with Amazon–Target’s Deal Days sale will run from June 20-22, also overlapping with Prime Day. Both Target and Walmart announced their sales the same day that Amazon confirmed Prime Day dates.
Knockout City isn’t the dodgeball from your childhood. It’s an intense team-based multiplayer take on the grade school sport that combines simple, easy to pick up controls, with deceptively complex tactics and strategies that may be surprising coming from a game featuring this type of Saturday morning cartoon aesthetic. Its crisp, satisfying gameplay and multiplayer duels deliver all of the highs of gym class sports without the smelly uniforms or the anxiety of being picked last.
I’ve found the art style to be an acquired taste. The Bratz doll look of the characters was off-putting at first, but taken with the colorful cityscapes, the genre-defying energy of the soundtrack, and eclectic customization options, Knockout City has a charm that’s hard to deny. I love the distinctive sound each of the different balls makes when they collide with targets, particularly that hollow and familiar “bonk” of the standard red rubber variety.
The base rules of this sport are simple: your team of three or four has to eliminate the opposing team by clobbering them with balls that spawn across the maps. Players must be hit twice to be knocked out, and the first team to 10 knockouts wins.
When a ball is in your hand, you’re almost like a baseball pitcher in that there’s a shot selection aspect to every throw you make as you attempt to break your opponent’s defense, which is a simple yet powerful catch. The basic throw can be charged to a faster variation, you can throw a slow lob that can change the opponent’s timing just enough to throw them off, or you can throw wide curve balls to reach around obstacles and exploit enemy blind spots. Winning a duel is much more about that choice than it is about precision – since all aim is auto-targeted, having great on-the-run aim like in a traditional third-person shooter is a non-factor. Instead, every interaction is a matter of having better reflexes and more devious tactics in focused, tennis-like volley exchanges.
Among the strangest and most effective moves is ignoring balls completely, and instead turning yourself into one for your teammates to throw. When you “ball up” you can be tossed to eliminate opponents like normal, or supercharged to become a sort of living, guided mortar shell. These UItimate Throws cause a devastating explosion on impact, knocking out anyone caught in the blast instantly. Using players as balls is risky, though. You can be caught like any other ball and thrown back against your team, or worse, thrown off the stage for an instant knockout. And of course, should you miss with a big Ultimate Throw, you are super exposed to counter attack.
Some of the more advanced techniques, like passes that charge the ball to max speed faster or dashes that double as powerful tackles that deflect throws and disarm opponents, provide great depth that high-skill players are already starting to make use of. I’m just scratching the surface of that after a few dozen games, never going too long without using a trick shot or an Ultimate Throw to gain an advantage in a close game. Not only do all of these little maneuvers feel easy and accessible, but they all feel necessary for true dodgebrawl mastery.
Most of the stages do a great job at throwing unique environmental wrinkles into the standard play. I quickly found a favorite stage in Galaxy Burger, which features a circular spinning restaurant that begs you to make wild trick throws inside it. The Roundabout adds cars to the mix, forcing you to stay on the move at all times or get bounced around by rush hour traffic. Of course, not every gimmick becomes something worth playing around, like the transporting tubes in Back Alley Brawl, but they don’t detract from the action either.
The special balls that spawn during games have a far more dramatic impact on gameflow from match to match. Sniper balls turn games into more long-range affairs, as players can hang back and launch high speed throws from afar. Multi-balls give you three throws instead of one, turning players into rapid-fire ballers for a limited time. I love that these options are so clearly worth playing around that they can change the pace of a game by their mere presence. For instance, when I hear the ticking of a Bomb Ball, I’m far less likely to stick close to teammates just in case they become ground zero for a sudden explosion.
Knockout City’s matchmaking is a bit wonky, though. Especially in unranked Street Play, where I’ve regularly joined games mid match only to find that my whole team has already gone idle, leaving me alone to get walloped by the enemy. Pickup games are at the mercy of the random people you’re playing with, which may not give you a fair shot.
Should you need a break from the standard gameplay, Knockout City offers rotating game modes that get shuffled every week that put interesting spins on the rules. One added a sort of gold rush system where every hit causes enemies to drop diamonds that you collect to score instead of simply chasing knockouts. My favorite mode removed all the balls completely, forcing players to throw their teammates at each other instead. Ultimately, these modes are fun distractions but never more alluring than the standard three-versus-three matches for very long.
