To kick off the month of October and leadup to Halloween 2020, streaming service FandangoNow is offering a great deal on its huge collection of horror movies. Right now, you can own a bunch of great horror films in HD for just $5 each, including Hellraiser, Evil Dead, and more.
Standouts from the sale include Oculus from director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House). The psychological horror film centers around an antique mirror that causes terrifying hallucinations. Another favorite: The Invitation, a thriller about a tense dinner party that takes a dark turn. The Visit is a particularly creepy film about two children sent to stay with their grandparents, who begin to act incredibly strange. I also recommend XX, an anthology of female-directed short horror films. Of course, you’ll also find classics like Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead and the chilling Hellraiser, so there’s a lot to pick from in this sale, depending on what type of horror you’re into.
If you’ve exhausted the options on mainstream services like Netflix, consider trying out Shudder, a horror streaming service that just passed the million subscriber mark this year. Shudder offers great original films like Host, a “pandemic thriller” made over Zoom during COVID-19, and TV shows like Creepshow, so you’ll find a bunch of new content to fuel your October horror binge.
What horror movies will you be checking out this month? Let us know in the comments below.
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Respawn Entertainment’s next Apex Legends update will bring in several major changes including allowing players across all platforms to play together. Launching on October 6, the update will include cross-play across systems, a new limited-time mode, and the Aftermarket collection event.
Cross-play will launch in beta and will work on all currently supported platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Origin (plus Steam once Apex Legends becomes available). The option is enabled by default, and players can add friends to their party by searching for their username. Unfortunately, there is no cross-progression between platforms at this time, although Respawn promises an update on that feature once Apex Legends releases on Steam later this year.
The addition of cross-play also brings some changes to how matchmaking works in the shooter. The game will primarily separate PC and console players, as those playing with a keyboard and mouse have an advantage over those using a controller. However, when a cross-play party includes console and PC players, it will match everyone into a PC match. Those who wish to disable cross-play will only be put into matches with their current platform. Respawn suggests that fans don’t disable the feature as it may make queue times “very, very long.”
Get revved up for the Aftermarket Collection Event. Take part in the cross-play beta, dive into the new “Flashpoint” LTM, take on challenges to earn exclusive rewards, and more! It’s going to be a hell of a ride! 😎
Also launching next week is a limited-time mode called Flashpoint, which features special zones in Kings Canyon that regenerate the health and shields of players. The trade-off is that healing items do not spawn in this mode, so the usage of these flashpoints is crucial to survival. According to Respawn systems designer Mark Yampolsky, the mode is designed to create a team deathmatch atmosphere and players will be able to craft Phoenix Kits at crafting replicators for a price.
Apex Legends Aftermarket event prize track
Other new additions to the October 6 patch include the Aftermarket Collection Event, which brings 24 themed limited-time cosmetics into the store. Items can be purchased directly for either Apex Coins or Crafting Metals. There will also be event bundles that come at a discounted rate. You can see the new items on EA’s website or get a look at the prize track above for the event, which includes exclusive rewards. Up to 1,000 points can be earned per day by doing challenges (while still allowing you to progress your battle pass) to work your way toward these prizes.
Beyond all this, Respawn also promises additional significant updates in the future and promises that “quality of life fixes” will be announced soon.
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While the Madden and FIFA series have leaned into their own story modes in recent years with Longshot and The Journey, EA’s other flagship sports franchise, NHL, has left this on the bench. That is still the case in NHL 21, but the game’s developer is finally updating its career-minded mode, Be A Pro, with what appears to be the biggest and most welcome changes to it in years.
I recently had the chance to play around four hours of NHL 21’s Be A Pro, and it’s clear right from the start that EA isn’t repeating the mistakes of last year.
The first thing you’ll notice in NHL 21’s Be A Pro mode is that the UI is completely overhauled, and for the better. The hub has been revamped to display more information on the screen at once. This sounds very basic, but in returning to NHL 20, its Be A Pro screen feels very barebones and lacking by comparison. NHL 21’s Be A Pro hub shows you most everything you need on one screen, with sub menus available for your game schedule, skill tree, important news, salary details, and more.
The new-look Be A Pro hub
The Be A Pro structure is familiar–as in years past, you start out by creating a character and choosing whether you want to start in the Memorial Cup or in Europe, and compete for a place in the NHL, or you can jump directly into the NHL and guide your player through their rookie season. I tried both ways, and found it was more exciting to start in one of the lower-tier leagues, as this makes your journey to the NHL feel more fulfilling.
Outside of the new hub and layout, another major change for Be A Pro in NHL 21 is the new conversation system. You will have text conversations with coaches, management, and teammates to discuss your future, and there are multiple dialogue options to choose from that can alter the trajectory of your career. EA says there are “hundreds” of story beats that can play out. I only played around four hours, so I didn’t see them all, but I was impressed with their variety.
In one instance, a teammate asked if I wanted to go bowling as a team-bonding exercise. I said yes, but then I got a call from my agent saying an opportunity came up to make some cash. So I was presented with a choice–go bowling with my teammates to increase my likeability with them (which would in turn improve line efficiency) or call my agent back to take up the brand opportunity (which could pay dividends down the road with further brand opportunities and sponsorships).
I ended up going bowling, but it was a decision I spent some time thinking about as I weighed the pros and cons–the ratings impact is also shown on screen so you can see just how much your decisions may affect your career. These kinds of dilemmas can also occur in conversations with members of the media and coaches. For example, in a media interview you can promise to have a big game the next time out, and you’re rewarded for coming through and punished for failing with impacts to your statistics.
While most of these conversations happen off the ice, there are also some conversations with your coach that occur in the middle of a game. In certain pivotal situations, you can promise to get your team back on track with a goal, or you can reassure your coach that you’ll play a more measured game to protect a lead.
I found that these conversations made me feel a sense of ownership of my player as I guided them through the early stages of their career. In about four hours, my character’s journey is only just beginning, and I’m excited to see how their story will play out and what other choices I might need to make throughout my career.
Creative director William Ho said in a group interview that he hopes people don’t just mash the conversation buttons and move on.
“We really want people to look at the responses and look at the ratings impacts … we’ve tried to make those ratings impacts with the fiction of each conversation and each promise,” he said. “So keep your eyes peeled and don’t just button through the conversations.”
It’s also worth noting again that NHL 21’s Be A Pro mode is focused primarily around your rookie season in the NHL. The majority of the content and the new voiceover and narration pertains to your rookie season, though Ho said there will be a “significant amount of content” available for your sophomore seasons and beyond as it relates to stat-tracking for your milestones as you progress toward new franchise records. Still, Ho acknowledged that he anticipates the main feedback around NHL 21’s Be A Pro mode will be that fans want more.
Also new for Be A Pro in NHL 21 is an in-universe radio show hosted by NHL 21 commentator James Cybulski that plays while you’re looking over the menus between games and other notable events. Cybulski, who in real life is also a radio host and broadcaster, does a fine job of recapping the previous week’s events and giving you something informative and entertaining to listen to as you complete more mundane tasks like assigning skill points, looking at your calendar, and more. Cybulski even takes callers and chats with hockey analyst and former player Ray Ferraro, and it genuinely sounds like a real radio show, complete with phone-caller audio and mistakes like Cybulski messing up the name of a caller.
NHL 21’s Be A Pro mode also contains a new menu for Salary Perks. As you progress through your career, you’ll make more money, and then you can choose how to spend it. Some of the perks include hiring a lawyer, a doctor, a stylist, or a stockbroker. Like real-world athletes have done with their money, you can also choose to invest your earnings in things like mutual funds, clothing brands, fragrance companies, or apps. Players can also buy houses and cars. Purchasing these items also impacts your player attributes. For example, hiring a lawyer grants you +2 aggressiveness and -1 shot blocking–how EA arrived at those figures, I don’t understand, but it gave me a good laugh.
Be A Pro also does a better job this year at providing quick and helpful feedback around player progression and letting you know what you need to do to improve and how close you are to achieving the next rank. During your shifts on the ice, the game tells you your XP rewards for good passes, well-aimed shots, and big hits. When you’re on the bench during a change, you get helpful feedback about what you need to do to improve, and then it’s up to you to execute.
When a game finishes, you get an even more in-depth breakdown of your performance with new menus that have sliders that show you experience points gained–or lost–toward the different facets of your game. This year, these progress bars notify you about how close you are to the next ranking, and this visual aid gave me the extra push to play one more game to keep ranking up and improving my character. And like last year, the skill tree returns, so you’re able to build out your character to your liking depending on how you like to play. It remains a thrill to see your player’s OVR rank rise as you progress through a season and succeed on the ice. Another nice touch is that, if you make it to the first line–meaning you’re one of the best offensive players on your team–the playcallers James Cybulski and Ray Ferraro will give your line a special nickname.
I haven’t played a full season of Be A Pro and gotten to see everything there is to offer at this stage, but at first blush, it appears EA is taking things in the right direction. I still hope that one day EA decides to make a full-blown story mode for the NHL series, but until then, Be A Pro will have to do–and thankfully it seems much better this year.
NHL 21 launches on October 16 for PS4 and Xbox One, but you can start playing from October 9 with EA Play. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on the ice hockey game in the days ahead.
Star Wars: Squadrons releases on October 2, and reviews have already gone live for developer EA Motive’s spin on interstellar dogfighting. The consensus so far has been a positive one, praising the game’s smaller scale, gorgeous visuals, and exhilarating action.
In our early review impressions of the single-player campaign, critic Edmond Tran noted that while the short campaign may leave fans hungry for more, the engaging flight mechanics and incredible locales will make you feel like you’ve just entered your own personal Star Wars experience:
“There is also a progression system that rewards a variety of cosmetic items and is notably free from microtransactions. How enjoyable these modes will be over a long period of time, and how rewarding the game’s progression ladder ends up feeling, is something I’ll be trying to come to terms with over the following days.”
We’ve grabbed a few more reviews and posted them below, with the majority of critics from other outlets also praising EA Motive’s attention to detail while mentioning the barebones single-player narrative being roughly half the length of last year’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. For more reviews, head on over to our sister site Metacritic to see what other critics had to say. You can also check out our preorder guide for more info on what to expect from Star Wars: Squadrons.
Star Wars Squadrons
Game: Star Wars: Squadrons
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Developer: EA Motive
Release date: October 2
Price: $40 / £30 / $60 AUD
GameSpot (Early review impressions)
“As my experience stands right now, the campaign of Star Wars: Squadrons is a solid showcase of setpieces that conveys what’s possible with the game’s engaging flight combat mechanics. Juggling all tasks required on your cool starfighter while soaking in the sights and sounds of Star Wars has been a real treat in the first 8 hours, even if I’m left a bit wanting.” – Edmond Tran [Full Review]
PCGamesN – 9/10
“If Star Wars: Squadrons had simply been ‘TIE Fighter with prettier skies to look at,’ it would’ve already been a winning proposition. What it is in fact is a great looking, technically demanding starfighter sim that provides a dynamic new spin on space dogfighting without any of the usual monetary cruft that accompanies live service games today. Time will tell if it truly has the depth and skill ceiling to give it staying power, but it’s made a damn fine first impression. If you’ve ever wanted to become an ace X-wing pilot, or fondly remember your time in a DOS-based fighter cockpit, Star Wars: Squadrons is a must-play.” – Ian Boudreau [Full Review]
Game Informer – 8.3/10
“Squadrons’ single-player may fizzle out frequently like a malfunctioning hyperdrive motivator, but the multiplayer continually impresses and is worth the price of entry alone. Flying in formation with a group of friends put a smile on my face, and that was just the calm before the storm. When the lasers start flying, Squadrons’ multiplayer can be nothing short of exhilarating and a great test of skill, pushing players to be clever in the cockpit to outthink and outmaneuver opponents. Given just how enjoyable it is to pilot an X-Wing or TIE Fighter, this is a multiplayer experience I will continually go back to, even if EA doesn’t support it with new content. It’s just fun to play, providing something different compared to most of today’s competitive games.” – Andrew Reiner [Full Review]
VG247 – 4/5
“Squadrons feels like more than the sum of its parts. Most importantly, it does exactly what it set out to do – and does it very well indeed. It’s EA’s smallest-scale console Star Wars title yet – but also its best. Fleet Battles feel a little long and sometimes listless, and some will no doubt pine for a little more content – I personally would’ve really liked to see a 20-player (or more) deathmatch mode. But it’s nevertheless difficult to really criticize such a tightly-wound, complete package. As such, it’s an easy recommendation.” – Alex Donaldson [Full Review]
IGN – 8/10
“Star Wars: Squadrons’ single-player campaign missions are a feast for Star Wars fans’ eyes and ears, especially in VR. Its engaging space combat is a great balance of approachable arcade control with the added nuance of simulation-like systems, which combine with astonishingly detailed ships and cockpits for the most authentic-feeling ride since LucasArts’ legendary X-Wing and TIE Fighter games back in the ’90s. Star Wars: Squadrons doesn’t end up doing anything too memorable with its charming characters or interesting rival squadron setup, but this campaign still tells an entertaining Star Wars story I enjoyed no matter which cockpit I was in.” – TomMarks [Full Review]
Upload VR – (Review-in-progress)
From what I’ve played so far, Star Wars: Squadrons has exceeded my already lofty expectations. It out-performs every other VR space combat game I’ve tried across the board for my tastes and offers a ton of nuance in its gameplay and immense entertainment with its full, robust campaign mode. If you got a chance to try the brief, but magical, X-Wing VR Mission in the first DICE Battlefront game on PS4 with PSVR and wished it could have been made into a full game, then this is exactly that and so much more. Some tiny performance issues and a lack of VR support for your hands and in cutscenes is unfortunate, but more than forgivable. – David Jagneux [Full Review]
Polygon – Unscored
“Star Wars: Squadrons is the total package. If all you have at your disposal is a console, a decent TV, and a working controller, you’re going to have a wonderful time. If you have a throttle, stick, and rudder pedals, you’re really in for a treat. And, if you happen to be able to afford VR, you may never want to take that headset off again.” – CharlieHall [Full Review]
PC Gamer (Review-in-progress)
“In the cockpit, though, this is probably the best a Star Wars flight game has ever felt, and multiplayer demands far more skill than the campaign—which is especially exciting to me when I think about strategizing with a full 5-player squad instead of AI teammates. Multiplayer also offers a deep pool of ship parts to unlock, changing everything from laser cannons to hull to engines, that make them play quite differently. I have more flying to do (and a lot more experimentation with those ship parts) before I give Squadrons a score, but I’m eager to get back in the cockpit as soon as the servers come online.” – Wes Fenlon [Full Review]
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai presented a short video this morning to announce the hero Steve from Minecraft. The announcement had Twitter in a tizzy, so much so that the site actually stopped working–though we can’t confirm that was the reason for it.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite reactions to the news thus far. Not only was Steve announced for the game, but Minecraft skins for characters like Enderman, a zombie, and Alex.
As user Stealth observed, Minecraft is one of the biggest games in the world. It’s unlikely any announcement could generate so much buzz.
Smash Bros. Ultimate is truly the biggest crossover in gaming history. What will ever beat this? Probably nothing. And still we have 4 characters remaining.
The world’s biggest Gex fan was disappointed that his favorite amphibian wasn’t selected, and it doesn’t appear he’ll be satisfied soon.
Just got off the phone with Joe Nintendo, he said Gex was never promised to be a part of any fighter pass or any smash bros games as long as he was alive.
Kazakhstan’s most famous fake citizen is back. Borat has traveled once again to the United States of America to film a documentary, which will make us all have a few laughs. The first trailer for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bride to American Regime and Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan–yes, that’s the full title–has arrived.
Coming to Amazon Prime Video on October 23, Sacha Baron Cohen reprises his role, and he has brought his daughter to America with him. Like the original movie, it will feature plenty of moments of the titular character spending time with Americans. Check it out below.
Jagshemash. If you see only one moviefilm this year, please see the only one that got made – mine. Great success! Please, you look. Chenquieh. pic.twitter.com/ygtv4RT4GG
The movie was filmed during the pandemic, so everything here is going to feel real timely. Because theaters are closed, it’s coming straight to Amazon Prime Video. Amazon recently purchased the movie, and the goal was to get it to the masses before Election Day.
The movie is directed by Jason Woliner (The Last Man on Earth, Nathan for You) and is produced by Cohen, Monica Levinson (Borat) and Anthony Hines (Who is America). Cohen and Hines have written the film along with Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, and Lee Kern.
Everything is moving very quickly for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. A report on September 8 stated the movie had wrapped in early September, just one month ago. Amazon purchased the movie this past week, and yesterday, it was announced a trailer would be debuting on October 1. Borat will premiere on Amazon roughly 45 days after it wrapped filming.
Director Ben Wheatley made a name for himself with the critically acclaimed High Rise but will more than likely be talked about later in the year with his adaptation of Rebecca from Netflix coming out in October. While he’s been chosen to helm to next Alicia Vikander-led Tomb Raider movie, supposedly coming out in 2021, Wheatley already has his next project wrapped up.
He shot a horror movie over 15 days in August in the middle of his coronavirus lockdown. Though not going into heavy details about the film, Wheatly describes the project as a response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the result of a datedness that he perceived in the titles released to VOD that couldn’t take the new status quo into account.
In a recent interview with Little White Lies, it seems that Wheatley recharges his creative batteries by going just going back to what he knows in between big time gigs.
“I’ve said it a lot, but I think I’ve always seen it as there being genres of subject but also genres of budget, and those genres of budget are micro-budget, low-budget, mid-budget, and high-budget, which make for totally different filmmaking experiences,” the director said.
A horror movie will bring him back to where he started as he broke onto the scene. He made the movies Kill List and contributing to the horror anthology The ABCs of Death before stepping into bigger and star-studded offerings like High Rise, which garnered a few industry award nominations. His Tomb Raider sequel will be his first foray into franchise films as well.
In the reveal trailer, Steve was spotted building walls, crafting items like swords, and summoning TNT blocks. He’s able to jump atop blocks that he places to get out of tight spots, and we saw some constructed materials like switches being dispatched to fling enemies or anvils to crush them. The building materials appear to crack rather quickly, though, so don’t expect persistent building like Fortnite. At one point we even got a glimpse of a minecart complete with tracks.
The presentation showed a few alternate skins: Alex, Enderman, and Zombie. We also got a brief glimpse at a Minecraft-themed stage, which appears to be able to swap between different biomes. The trailer showed a forest as it appears lush and green, wilted in the fall, and snowy in the winter.
Masahiro Sakurai appeared to make some brief comments on the addition. He said that Nintendo often comes to him with ideas and he thought this one, in particular, would be a challenge. He said the hardest part was making sure the block-building mechanic would work on all the existing stages.
Steve is the second character to be added as part of the Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2. The first was Min Min from Arms, who was added in June. Nintendo announced that the Fighter’s Pass 2 would include six new fighters, an increase from the five that were included in the original Fighter’s Pass, so four more are coming. Steve will be purchasable for $6 in the Challenger Pack 7, or in the bundle of all six characters for $30.
Smash Bros. Ultimate has still been issuing updates aside from new fighters, like an August update that added a free new stage called Small Battlefield. As you might expect, it was a shrunken version of the popular Battlefield stage.
Smash Bros. remains one of Nintendo’s most popular games, currently standing at #3 in its Nintendo Switch software sales rankings right behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It has sold almost 20 million units worldwide, according to Nintendo.
The PlayStation Store has kicked off another big sale on PS4 hits both old and new. The Games of a Generation Sale includes a wide variety of titles, including the first substantial discount on Ghost of Tsushima, the last major PS4 exclusive to release before the PS5 takes center stage this November. The Games of a Generation Sale runs through October 14, so you have about two weeks to browse the offerings and make your picks.
Ghost of Tsushima is discounted to $45, while the Digital Deluxe edition is down to $55.29. The latter edition comes with extra in-game content, a PS4 theme, and director’s commentary that dives into the historical events that influenced the open-world adventure. It earned a 7/10 in GameSpot’s Ghost of Tsushima review, with editor Edmond Tran praising the combat mechanics and lush environments.
