Since its announcement in 2018, the Disney+ Rogue One prequel series has been slowly coming together–which is all you can ask for this year considering the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a new actor is joining the ranks alongside star Diego Luna who is reprising his role of Cassian Andor.
Adria Arjona, whose previous works include 6 Underground, Amazon’s Good Omens, and Pacific Rim: Uprising, has joined the ranks of the upcoming series according to a report from Deadline. Who Arjona is playing is unknown at this time, and Disney has yet to comment on the report.
While it’s still in pre-production, the Rogue One prequel show has been filling out its cast list during the course of the year. Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma in Rogue One) and Denise Gough (the voice of Yennefer in The Witcher 2: The Wild Hunt) have signed on for the series, although like Arjona, Gough’s role is also unknown.
Stellan Skarsgard and Kyle Soller were both revealed to be included in the series in April as well. Skarsgard is most recently known for his work on HBO’s Chernobyl, and Soller for the TV series Counterfeit Car.
Tony Gilroy will write the new series and direct multiple episodes. Gilroy was also the co-writer of the Rogue One movie. The show is set–obviously–before the events of the film and will follow Cassian Andor and his robot sidekick K-2SO, which Alan Tudyk will voice. Disney has described the show as a “spy thriller.”
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Hulu subscribers who are currently on the $6 per month plan (with ads) can now save money by purchasing an annual subscription. The streaming service has rolled out a $60 per year annual plan, which saves you $12 overall over the course of a year. While not a huge savings, at $5 per month, Hulu’s ad-supported plan will continue to be the most budget-friendly streaming subscription around.
Unfortunately, this offer is only available to current subscribers at this time. If you’re new to Hulu and thinking of signing up because of this deal, you’ll only be able to sign up for the more expensive month-by-month plan right now. However, Hulu is planning on offering this deal to new subscribers in the coming months.
Additionally, an annual plan discount isn’t available for ad-free Hulu subscribers or those with the Live TV package. Ad-free Hulu subscriptions cost $11 per month ($132 per year), which is now more than double the cost of the ad-supported annual subscription. Meanwhile, Hulu + Live TV costs $45 per month, which is still a great deal for those who have cut the cord.
It appears The Last of Us Part II is getting two new gameplay updates that might persuade you to dive back into Naughty Dog’s dark and dreary sequel. New trophies for the game have hinted at the return of the Grounded difficulty, as well as a new permadeath mode.
Grounded difficulty should be familiar if you played the first game in this series. It was also added as free post-launch content, giving players the ultimate test in the unrelenting post-apocalypse Joel and Ellie had to navigate. It removed your HUD, disabled the useful listen mode that let you track enemies through wall, and made enemies deadlier while also making ammunition scarcer.
Given the identical name, it’s likely this new difficulty mode will flip the same switches in this year’s sequel. The trophies also hint at a permadeath mode, which is self-explanatory; die once, and your game is over. The trophy references completing this on any difficulty, which means it won’t be tied to any single one. That should make it slightly more manageable, especially with how forgiving the game can be below hard.
New trophies add to The Last of Us Part II
The appearance of the trophies predates the patch that these features will be added in, which will supposedly be 1.03. Neither Naughty Dog or Sony have confirmed these two features, so it’s unclear yet if they’re bound for the very next patch or one later in the future.
The Last of Us Part II deals with the choices of the first game, this time letting you play as Ellie on a path of revenge. It’s a game that is brutal and heartbreaking in equal measure, with GameSpot scoring it 8/10 in our Last of Us Part II review. It’s also a technical marvel, especially when it comes to some of the world’s finer details. You can read up on how Naughty Dog’s various departments created the incredibly satisfying glass physics here, with some insight from its developers.
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons player and Redditor lazyleiz held a memorial for her father, who would have been 68, in the small town simulator. They scanned an image of him into the game to display on an easel, designed custom fireworks, and set up a special area to honor him.
“I held it completely in Animal Crossing! My siblings and I are located all over the map and Animal Crossing has surprisingly turned into a place for us to virtually gather,” lazyleiz told GameSpot. “I created the memorial in June for Fathers Day, and I’ve enjoyed surprising my siblings with little parties there.”
The pandemic has made mourning more difficult as families and friends can’t always be together. Families have had to plan and hold their funerals virtually, although some have opted to use Animal Crossing and Zoom to gather and remember those they’ve lost.
Lazyleiz enjoyed designing unique fireworks, like an image of national flag of the Philippines, in order to make the memorial feel unique to their family. “I’m not normally super creative, but there’s something about the tools this game gives you,” lazyleiz said. “I love being able to make something not just for me to enjoy, but my loved ones as well.”
For those who haven’t purchased the full Modern Warfare game yet, publisher Activision is continuing its Free Access Multiplayer period. Now ending on August 12, you’ll get to play Modern Warfare’s multiplayer for free across five different maps, such as Chesire Park and Petrov Oil Rig, as well as Shoot the Ship when the playlist offerings get updated on Tuesday, August 11.
There’s also a new mode in Modern Warfare called Bare Bones. As the name suggests, Bare Bones strips everything away and leaves you with pure Call of Duty multiplayer. There are no killstreaks, no field upgrades, no perks. It’s just you, your Operator’s skills, and your loadout.
Additionally, fans of Hardcore multiplayer can tackle a new Hardcore-specific playlist that features Hardcore Team DeathMatch, Kill Confirmed, and 24/7 Shoot the Ship. If you’d rather have something more personalized, though, 3v3 Gunfight Blueprints will also be available.
Warzone Playlist Update
Warzone also sees some playlist updates this week. There’s a “fast, chaotic, and tight-knit” Mini-Royale you can participate in that “captures the spirit of the final minutes of a Battle Royale match.” Activision didn’t clarify anything else about Mini-Royale, though.
Furthermore, Battle Royale Stimulus–in which you can respawn if you’re holding enough money when you die–has returned in the form of Solos, Duos, Trios, and Quads. Plunder Quads is also back.
New Call of Duty Blueprints
And of course, this week’s Modern Warfare and Warzone update also packages in new blueprints you can purchase from the in-game shop. This includes the Mace’s Executive Armorer bundle (which houses two Legendary blueprints, the Golden Hew melee hatchet, a voice quip, and more) and the Poison Dart bundle (which features Legendary blueprints, a calling card, animated emblem, and more).
In other Call of Duty news, Activision has started mailing out mysterious boxes to people. Rumors began circulating that the publisher might reveal this year’s Call of Duty game, but it turns out the contents within the boxes are just more teasers. We know it’s coming this year, but it’s unclear what Call of Duty 2020 is.
He might not have been adapted to the screen as frequently as Stephen King, but for many horror fans, author Clive Barker is every bit as acclaimed and influential. Classic horror movies such as Hellraiser, Candyman, and Nightbreed were either directed by Barker or adapted from his stories, and they are set to be joined by the upcoming Hulu movie Books of Blood.
Books of Blood is adapted from Barker’s classic ’80s six-volume anthology of the same title. It’s an anthology movie that features three stores based on Barker’s work and premieres on Hulu on October 7. The film is co-produced by Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, and is directed Brannon Braga, who also helmed several episodes of McFarlane’s sci-fi show The Orville. Hulu has also released the first poster, which you can check out below:
Hulu’s Books of Blood
The cast for Books of Blood includes Anna Friel (The Girlfriend Experience), Britt Robertson (Under the Dome), Yul Vazquez (Russian Doll), and Freda Foh Shen (Ad Astra). Books of Blood was first announced in November last year. According to The Hollywood Reporter at the time, the stories will revolve around a psychologist who meets a man who claims he can speak to her dead child, a woman who cannot stand any sound, and a hitman who is hunting for a mysterious book.
This isn’t the first time that Books of Blood has been adapted for the screen. The movies Candyman, Midnight Meat Train, and Rawhead Rex were all based on stories from the collection, while an adaptation of the wraparound story, titled Book of Blood, was released in 2009. In addition, a new adaptation of Candyman is set to hit theaters in October.
McFarlane isn’t the only actor and writer best known for comedy to get involved with horror over the past couple of years. Danny McBride co-wrote 2018’s hugely successful Halloween reboot and has also written next year’s sequel Halloween Kills. In addition, Chris Rock developed the story and will star in the next Saw movie, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, which hits theaters next May.
Bombservice has announced a new Momodora is in development, in celebration of the original game’s tenth anniversary. The new teaser briefly features art of protagonist Isadora, a crimson eclipse, and ends with a pair of spooky eyes that refuse to blink.
On the official Momodora Twitter, series creator Guilherme Martins tweeted his thanks to fans who had supported the game series over the last decade. “Momodora is a series that I started from scraps of failed projects, with no expectations,” Martins wrote.
“My only goal back then was to be able to bring one of my characters to life. In the beginning, I barely knew what I was doing (and honestly even today…) but I followed my heart and created what I wanted to the best of my abilities. If someone like me was able to do it, those out there who dream of their creations can, too. Please keep your spirits up!”
Originally launched on PC in 2010, the first Momodora was an indie platformer game influenced by Cave Story. Momodora II arrived in 2011 and shifted the series to a Metroidvania style of gameplay, while also revamping Momodora’s combat system in the process.
Minoria would serve as a spiritual sequel when it launched on PC in 2019, and is currently scheduled to arrive on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on September 10.
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Leaked skins from Marvel’s Avengers have surfaced on Reddit, seemingly tied to promotional collaborations with Verizon, Intel and Virgin Media.
Posted to Reddit by user smoove4254, the first set of skins boast a red and white colourway, with the header tags found suggesting they could be linked to Verizon in the US and Virgin Media in the UK, who both follow a similar colour scheme.
The second set of skins are more nostalgic in nature, with Thor sporting an old-school fighting helmet and Iron Man donning a weathered set of armour. According to the user, this set may be part of an upcoming collaboration with technology company Intel. In a report from ComputerBase, leaked product images were found suggesting that an upcoming series of ‘KA’ model Intel processors will feature a collaboration with Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers game, which may well be where these skins stem from.
In other Marvel’s Avengers news, check out our 44 helpful tips and tricks for the game’s beta program, which is rolling out over the coming weekends. If you’re stuck wondering which superhero you should main when you get access, check out our character skill guides to find out which of earth’s mightiest heroes best suits your style.
Pokemon Go‘s third and final Ultra Unlock event, Unova Week, kicks off in a few days, but that’s not the only event happening in the game this week. As a make-good for some technical issues that occurred during Pokemon Go Fest 2020, Niantic is holding a special event for Go Fest ticket holders this Sunday, August 16, giving them another chance to catch Go Fest Pokemon and more.
The makeup event runs from 11 AM to 2 PM local time. Much like during the first day of Go Fest, there will be rotating virtual habitats each hour of the makeup event, which will bring out different types of Pokemon. The habitat rotation schedule is as follows:
11 AM: Fire habitat
12 PM: Water habitat
1 PM: Friendship habitat
On top of that, players will be able to claim a free box from Pokemon Go’s in-game shop that contains two Incense and two Remote Raid Passes. Any Incense that you use during the event will also last for one hour instead of the usual 30 minutes, and certain Pokemon will only appear when Incense is active.
Finally, any gifts that you open during the makeup event can possibly contain Rare Candies. You can read more about the Pokemon Go Fest makeup event on the game’s official website.
In the meantime, the aforementioned Unova Week kicks off on August 14 and runs until August 21. During that time, Gen 5 Pokemon such as Sewaddle, Cottonee, and Emolga will appear in the wild much more often than usual, and the Mythical Pokemon Genesect will be featured in five-star Raids. You also have until August 14 to battle and catch Deoxys, which is appearing again as part of the ongoing Enigma Week event.
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Twitch Prime, a service included with any Amazon Prime subscription, is getting a rebrand. Today, Amazon launched Prime Gaming, which will replace Twitch Prime going forward and offer even more free gaming content for Amazon Prime members.
Twitch Prime has been one of the more overlooked sources for free games and loot every month compared to subscriptions like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold, despite the fact that every one of Amazon’s 150 million+ Prime subscribers has access to it. Since 2016, Twitch Prime has offered free in-game loot, free PC games, and a free Twitch channel subscription every month. Amazon has been ramping up its offerings in recent months, partnering with publishers like Rockstar and Riot to offer exclusive in-game items for major titles like Grand Theft Auto Online and League of Legends. The number of free games has grown exponentially as well, with over 20 games up for grabs this month, including SNK arcade classics like Metal Slug 2 and SNK 40th Anniversary Collection.
With Prime Gaming, Amazon aims to keep growing its catalog of freebies and partnering with major publishers to offer free content. While Prime Gaming’s free loot can be claimed across all gaming platforms, including the next-generation consoles when those launch, the free indie games will still only be available to claim on PC for now, Amazon said in a press briefing.
The name change is largely a rebranding to make the benefits more clear to existing Prime members and allow Prime Gaming to more neatly sit alongside other pillars of the Prime membership, including Prime Video, Prime Reading, and Amazon Music. But Prime Gaming will also make it easier to take advantage of these benefits–going forward, you’ll be able to claim your free games and loot directly at Amazon. Some free content drops require you to link a third-party account such as EA or Rockstar, but Amazon is simplifying the process by no longer requiring members to link their Twitch account as well. With Prime Gaming, only your Amazon Prime account and specific game account need to be linked.
An Amazon Prime membership costs $119/year (or $13 a month). On top of the Prime Gaming benefits, you get free two-day shipping on many Amazon products, and sometimes even one-day or same-day shipping depending on where you live. You also get free release-date shipping on select games and other pre-order items. Plus, the membership unlocks unlimited access to Prime Video, Prime Music, and many other benefits. Fortunately, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to try Prime out if you’re interested.
