Hasbro has announced a new line of GI Joe figures, led by ones for Snake Eyes and his pet, Timber. The new Alpha Commandos two-pack will launch on July 1. Read on to get the scoop on plenty of other GI Joe figures, including those based on Roadblock, Gabriel “Barbecue” Kelly, and Alvin “Breaker” Kinney.
Snake Eyes stands six inches tall, looking cool and wielding a big knife or dual-wielding automatic rifles as he’s known to do. His wolf pet Timber looks menacing as he snarls. Both are part of the GI Joe Classified series, which also adds a Heavy Artillery Roadblock variant. As you can see in the image below, the character Roadblock is wielding a massive machine gun, while he also has a pistol at his disposal.
Snake Eyes and Timber
Gallery
The Snake Eyes and Timber GI Joe Classified two-pack is available for preorder for $40 starting June 10 and will then release on July 1. The Heavy Artillery Roadblock figure costs $20 and also releases on July 1.
Roadblock Heavy Artillery
Hasbro also announced the Cobra Island Gabriel “Barbecue” Kelly action figure, which launches on August 1 priced at $20. “The figure comes ready for action, with multiple points of articulation making it highly poseable and accessories inspired by the character’s rich history,” reads a line from its description.
The Cobra Island Alvin “Breaker” Kinney figure, meanwhile, launches on July 1 for $40. You can see all of these new figures in the image galleries in this story.
Gallery
In other news, the new Snake Eyes movie starring Henry Golding in the title role is set for release in July–here’s a new trailer.
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E3 is right around the corner, and one of biggest games at the show will be Halo Infinite. Announced back in June 2018 and originally due to release as a launch title for the Xbox Series X|S in November 2020, Microsoft has kept fans waiting for some time. But the end of the road is in sight. Here’s what we know about the game so far and what we hope to see at E3 2021 during the Microsoft/Bethesda briefing on Sunday, June 13.
What We Know So Far
Halo Infinite was officially announced at E3 2018. At the event, Microsoft showcased an impressive-looking trailer, not for the game itself, but rather its brand-new engine, Slipspace. While it didn’t contain any gameplay, the trailer got Halo fans excited for the long-awaited sequel to 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians by demonstrating what the engine is technically capable of delivering. We saw sweeping vistas, a vast world to explore, and all manner of wildlife.
This was all we got until Summer 2020, which is when Microsoft published an extended campaign demonstration for Halo Infinite that showed off new locations and items such as the Grappleshot, which is basically a grappling hook traversal tool that players will be able to use to zip around the playable spaces quickly. In fact, you can even use this Grappleshot to hijack a Banshee in mid-air, which sounds like something out of a Michael Bay action movie. Thinking about the Grappleshot in the context of multiplayer brings up a lot of exciting possibilities.
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Halo Infinite Gameplay Demo | Xbox Games Showcase 2020
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Developer 343 has also since confirmed new details about the weaponry players will have at their disposal, including the Bulldog shotgun that replaces the original. Outside of that, 343 spoke about the PC edition of Halo Infinite, which is built from the ground up for computers as opposed to coming as an afterthought, and that’s great news. We’ve also gotten a peek behind the scenes to see how the audio engineers went about capturing the sounds of Halo Infinite, and this includes recording a developer’s little dog.
Another big piece of the puzzle is that Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free-to-play. This is a huge change for the series, but it’s one that makes sense and might pay dividends down the road if 343 can really nail the execution. Not only that, but Xbox Game Pass members can play the entire game at no extra cost, which seemingly opens it up to a potentially much larger audience that in turn could help the game get off to a great start.
Another element at play with Halo Infinite is the staff turnover and changes to the development personnel. Most notably, game director Chris Lee left the project mid-development, with Microsoft veteran Joseph Staten coming in to help finish the game. Staten worked at Bungie during the early days of Halo. He then co-created the Destiny universe before re-joining Microsoft.
Officially, nothing for Halo Infinite is confirmed for E3 2021 yet. However, it’s widely expected that Halo Infinite will take center stage at the Microsoft/Bethesda joint briefing. The key art for Microsoft’s E3 show features Spartan soldiers prominently, so it seems all but a sure thing that Halo Infinite will show up and have a major show at E3 this year.
Halo Infinite should be a big part of the Xbox/Bethesda Games Showcase
What We Hope To See At E3 2021
Halo Infinite is the first new mainline game in the series since 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians. A lot of time has passed since then, and a lot has changed in the FPS space. Free-to-play games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends are all dominating the genre these days, and Halo Infinite will have to deliver something special to compete and reclaim some of the aging franchise’s former glory.
I hope Microsoft goes all in on Halo Infinite’s multiplayer at E3 2021. After all, multiplayer is the bread and butter of the franchise, and it’s more important than ever these days due to the industry’s general trend toward live service and ongoing games. Halo is known for its forward-thinking, super-fun, and team-based sandbox multiplayer, and I’m hoping we see Microsoft’s vision for the future of Halo multiplayer at E3 this year.
No one saw Halo 5’s MOBA-style Warzone mode coming back in 2015, and I’m eager to see whatever other new and exciting innovations 343 has in the works for Halo Infinite. The studio has said it has no plans for Halo battle royale, but the game will have to offer something new and fresh beyond Slayer (which is still important!) to really make Halo pop and give lapsed players a reason to come back and invite new ones into the fold.
2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Halo and the Xbox brand overall, so expectations are high for Microsoft to really stick the landing with Halo Infinite. A strong showing at E3 could be exactly what the franchise needs to rekindle some of its former glory and get people excited and interested in the game ahead of its launch this holiday.
Halo Infinite is scheduled for release this holiday across Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It’s included with Xbox Game Pass, and, as mentioned, the multiplayer is free-to-play.
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A new Max Raid event is underway in Pokemon Sword and Shield. To celebrate the start of the rainy season, frog Pokemon are appearing more frequently in Max Raids across the Wild Area, Isle of Armor, and Crown Tundra until June 6.
During this event, you’ll have more chances to encounter Croagunk, Seismitoad, Politoed, Venusaur (which is indeed a frog), and their pre-evolved forms in Max Raid dens. Additionally, Shiny Politoed and Gigantamax Venusaur are appearing in five-star Raids. These will be much rarer to find, however.
The Galar region’s rainy season has begun! This weekend, look out for Venusaur, Politoed, Croagunk, and Seismitoad in Max Raid Battles—and yes, you’ll have a chance to encounter Gigantamax Venusaur and Shiny Politoed too! 🌧️☔️➡️ https://t.co/wRbX3fxtp5pic.twitter.com/43IQYSJhQV
The Max Raid event runs until 4:59 PM PT / 7:59 PM ET / 11:59 PM UTC. Before the featured Pokemon can begin appearing in your game, you’ll need to refresh your Max Raid dens. You can do so by either connecting your game online or selecting Get the Wild Area News from the Mystery Gift menu.
If you miss your chance to catch Gigantamax Venusaur during this event, there will be another opportunity to get one. Following this month’s Pokemon Home update, The Pokemon Company will give away a free Bulbasaur and Squirtle to all users. Both monsters will have the Gigantamax factor, meaning they’ll be able to Gigantamax when they’ve evolved into Venusaur and Blastoise. If you purchased a Sword or Shield Expansion Pass, you can also teach a Venusaur how to Gigantamax in the Isle of Armor.
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.
