Watchmen Showrunner Is Very Pleased With Emmy Noms, But Still Won’t Make Another Season

The Emmy nominations for 2020 have been announced, and Watchmen earned far and away the most nods–26 in total. It’s a huge figure, and includes six nominations across acting categories and three across directing. Showrunner Damon Lindelof is very happy with this–but it doesn’t mean he’s coming back for season 2.

Lindelof has spoken to Entertainment Weekly about the show’s Emmy success, and said that he’s very pleased with it. “I expect nothing in this day and age, and I think that it’s hard to put too much stock and invest in award shows,” he says. “But at the same time, we all have to acknowledge that they mean something because it’s our peers. I didn’t really realize how much I cared until my heart started racing.”

Lindelof said that he and his wife “shrieked out loud” when Jeremy Irons was nominated for his performance as Adrian Veidt, and that he’s very glad for all the technical nominations too. “The best part of it is not how many nominations, but it’s all these people that I worked with over the course of two years, my creative partners, whether they worked in the camera department or the sound mixing or they were composing the score or doing the costumes,” he says.

Asked which nominations he was most happy about, Lindelof mentioned two. Lou Gossett Jr.’s nomination meant a lot to him, he said, because ha has “worshiped him from afar as just a lover of cinema and storytelling” since childhood. He was also happy to see music supervisor Liza Richardson, who he previously worked with on The Leftovers, nominated. “Music supervision is an art form, and it was just great to see her sort of singled out and recognized for that,” he says.

Asked if this changes his position on not returning for more Watchmen, Lindelof doubled down, saying that while he hopes someone else makes something, it won’t be him. “I’m so proud of the work that we all did. But this show only worked because other [writers] told the story and I got out of the way, and that was not easy for me. I’m not saying this because I’m being modest; I’m a narcissist, for sure, but in the case of Watchmen, the magic occurred and that could never be replicated.”

“I hope there’s more Watchmen,” Lindelof says. “I really feel like that space is now open for others to come and play in, and I really look forward to what they do with it.

Watchmen was reclassified as a Limited Series after airing, which also partially explains how it was able to get so many nominations–it dominated in those categories.

Watchmen was GameSpot’s favorite show of 2019, and is likely to win Emmys in several categories.

Now Playing: Watchmen Premiere “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice” Breakdown

New Zealand’s Latest Tourist Ad Is A Video Game… Sort Of

New Zealand is looking to the world of video games to invite virtual visitors to its shores while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The #PlayNZ campaign isn’t exactly a video game, but it’s borrowing heavily from them, promising the “world’s first gameplay walkthrough of a real country.”

New Zealand Tourism has partnered with Australian streamer Loserfruit to explore “the world’s most exciting open world… in the world,” with a ten-minute video showing some of New Zealand’s most popular tourist attractions in the form of a game walkthrough.

Sadly #PlayNZ isn’t a real video game, but it’s got some cute easter eggs that gamers would enjoy–including a hawk-bearing main character with a passing resemblance to a certain Uncharted protagonist. The faux-game has collectables named with the te reo Māori words “kaha” meaning strength, “aroha” meaning love, and “wairua” meaning spirit.

While not quite a game in the traditional sense, the website boasts a series of 180 and 360 degree videos–each in the format of a video game-style “quest”–to explore some of New Zealand’s wildest and most beautiful attractions in a semi-interactive format. There’s also one in there for the nerds, in the form of the Weta Cave, home of all things Lord of the Rings.

Though New Zealand has all but eliminated COVID-19, the country wants to keep it that way, and so isn’t currently allowing outside visitors who don’t have a good reason to be there. Though tourists are currently forbidden, New Zealand has restarted its film industry, with big productions like the Avatar sequels and Lord of the Rings TV show back in action.

Uncharted Movie: Tom Holland Posts Videos From The Set

With the Uncharted movie finally set to begin filming soon, lead actor Tom Holland–who plays Nathan Drake–has shared a video that appears to show a glimpse behind the scenes of the Sony action movie.

Posting to his Instagram story, Holland shared multiple videos from what definitely looks like a movie set (complete with crew members wearing masks to adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines). In one of the videos, he tagged Anthony Drewett, who is Holland’s costume assistant. The videos don’t offer much, but they do seem to suggest that filming may soon finally begin.

The videos are not tagged with anything pertaining to Uncharted, but it seems a safe bet that he’s on the set of the film given his previous post. Earlier in July, Holland posted a photo of his chair for the Uncharted movie, with the caption “day one.” However, Sony Pictures later clarified that filming had not actually begun, but that should happen very soon.

The Uncharted movie also stars Mark Wahlberg as Sully. He remains active on social media, but he’s kept busy promoting his new “athleisure” line of clothing, Municipal. He hasn’t posted about Uncharted yet.

The Uncharted film also stars Antonio Banderas, Sophia Ali, and Tati Gabrielle in unspecified roles.

The movie–which has been in development for more than 10 years–was delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, jumping back from its March 5, 2021 date to a new October 8, 2021 release.

Venom and Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer is set to direct the Uncharted movie, which is the first project from the recently formed PlayStation Productions. This is a division of the gaming company focused on adapting its franchises for TV and film. The unit is also working with HBO on the upcoming Last of Us TV show.

Emmy Nominations 2020 By The Numbers: Watchmen And Netflix Lead The Way With Huge Figures

The 2020 Emmy nominees have been announced, and you can check out the full list now. Between the acting, technical, and overall awards, there’s a whole heap of data on offer here, but when you break it all down, some clear frontrunners emerge.

Variety has rounded up the numbers to identify which companies and shows picked up the most nominations, and the results are pretty definitive–GameSpot was right about what the best show of 2019 was.

Watchmen (HBO) comfortably leads on TV with a whopping 26 nominations. These included multiple technical awards, plus three directing nods, lead actor (Jeremy Irons), lead actress (Regina King), supporting actress (Jean Smart) and three supporting actors (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jovan Adepo, Louis Gossett Jr). This makes it a likely front-runner for “best limited series”.

In the Comedy catergory, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (Amazon) leads with a huge 20 nominations. The drama nominees are led by Succession (HBO, 18 nominations) and Ozark (Netflix, 18 nominations), both of which gained a lot of traction with their most recent seasons.

The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars TV series, also did well, securing 15 nominations. There are some snubs in here, too–Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn missing out on Better Call Saul nominations stings.

Looking at networks and studios, Netflix is the clear frontrunner, with an enormous 160 nominations. HBO is a ways behind in second place, with 107–but it easily has the most nominations of any studio, as Netflix actually produces very few of its own shows. HBO leads this list with their 107 nominations, with Warner Bros. coming next with 50 nominations, and Netflix Original Production earning just 33.

The 2020 Emmys will air on September 20, 2020. It will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, whose show Jimmy Kimmel Live! is also nominated in several categories.

Now Playing: HBO’s Watchmen – Biggest Unanswered Questions

Halo Infinite Nerf Gun Comes With In-Game DLC

Halo’s MA40 AR weapon is being turned into a Nerf gun to promote the release of Halo Infinite, and now Microsoft has shared some new images of it and more.

The Halo Twitter account announced that the Nerf blaster is now in production, and pre-orders are now open. Amazon has posted a product page for the toy, revealing new details about the toy itself and a related DLC offer.

The MA40 AR blaster features a “motorized” system that allows users to hold down an “acceleration button” and then squeeze the trigger to fire. It comes with a 10-dart clip and 10 darts, while it also includes a “rail riser” that can be attached to the weapon to customize it.

Intriguingly, the Amazon page also mentions that the $50 USD toy blaster comes with a code to unlock a “digital asset” in Halo Infinite. Specifics are not available, but a logical jump would be that the code will unlock a digital version of the weapon in Halo Infinite.

The Amazon page for Halo Infinite also mentions that the game will have “in-app purchases,” which is no surprise given what Microsoft has already said about micotransactions in the game.

Finally, the Amazon page lists an October 1 release date for the MA40 AR Nerf blaster, but this looks like it might be only a placeholder.

Halo Infinite is due to release this holiday as a launch title for the Xbox Series X. The game will also come to the standard Xbox One as well as PC. For lots more, check out GameSpot’s video overview above that covers everything you need to know about Halo Infinite.

Now Playing: Halo Infinite – Everything You Need To Know

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Pokemon Go August Community Day Features The Most Worthless Pokemon

Pokemon Go Fest 2020 has come and gone, but Niantic already has some more events lined up for the hit mobile game, including August’s Community Day. That will take place on August 8, and the featured Pokemon this time around will be an unexpected choice: Magikarp.

Throughout the event, Magikarp will appear in the wild much more frequently than usual, giving you plenty of opportunities to catch it and stock up on Magikarp Candy–which you’ll need a lot of if you hope to evolve it into Gyarados. Any Magikarp that you evolve up to two hours after the Community Day ends will learn the move Aqua Tail. You’ll also have a chance to encounter a Shiny Magikarp during the event.

On top of that, Niantic will offer a few other in-game bonuses during August’s Community Day. First, any Incense that you use during the event will remain active for three hours rather than the usual 30 minutes, letting you attract more wild Pokemon without having to leave home. In addition, you’ll earn triple the normal amount of Stardust for catching Pokemon.

Like the past few Community Days, next month’s event will run for six hours instead of the usual three, from 11 AM to 5 PM local time. That means you’ll have until 7 PM local time to evolve Magikarp and obtain a Gyarados that knows Aqua Tail. You can read more about the event on the official Pokemon Go website.

In the meantime, players have three Ultra Unlock events to look forward to soon as a reward for completing enough global challenges during Pokemon Go Fest 2020. There’s also still time to catch the Legendary Kyurem in Raids and complete July’s Field Research tasks. Each Research Breakthrough you achieve this month will lead to an encounter with Larvitar, but a new Research Breakthrough reward will replace it starting August 1.

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The Mandalorian Nabs 15 Emmy Nominations

The Mandalorian, Disney+’s Star Wars space western, has been nominated for 15 Emmy Awards–including Outstanding Drama Series. According to a release issued by the Television Academy, The Mandalorian has also received nominations for Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program, Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, among others. The full list of all show nominations can be found here.

The Mandalorian was created by Jon Favreau (who has also directed Iron Man, Elf, and the 2019 version of The Lion King), and it premiered with the launch of Disney+ in November 2019. The series has received positive reviews and has been picked up for both a second season (due to release in October) and a third season.

Pedro Pascal stars in the title role, who is a bounty hunter in the mold of Star Wars favorite Boba Fett. In interviews, Favreau himself has summed up The Mandalorian as “set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. The series depicts Din Djarin, a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.”

Television Academy members will cast their votes for the winners between August 21 and August 31. The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on September 20 and broadcast on ABC. Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting.

New Xbox One Games Sale Discounts Titles To Their Lowest Prices Yet

This week’s Xbox One game deals are now live, and while not as many hard hitters are available when compared to past weeks, there are still a number of great games and deals. A couple of EA Sports titles have hit their lowest prices yet. Madden NFL 20 and NHL 20 are both $12 this week, making it a great time to pick up a sports game before the new one releases–and with the current pandemic, it’s sure to keep you busy for the next couple of weeks.

One of 2019’s best games also sees a nice discount. Outer Wilds is only $15 right now, and if you’re in the mood for exploring the cosmos and a number of gorgeous, mysterious planets, then you can’t do better than Outer Wilds. It scored a 9/10 in our Outer Wilds review for its captivating story, non-linear exploration, and visually distinct planets.

The best Xbox One game deals

Other discounted titles include State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition for $22.49. If you’re a Game Pass subscriber, you already have access to it–otherwise, you can subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1 for your first month. You can also snag the loot-shooter Shadow Warrior 2 for $32, which combines excellent first-person shooting action with potty humour.

A number of PlayWay’s simulator games are also on sale. Car Mechanic Simulator is $18 and Thief Simulator is $15, while my personal favourite, House Flipper, is $22.49. The latter has you taking on jobs to clean and furnish people’s homes, while at the same time buying houses of your own and flipping them for a profit. It may sound like a chore, but it’s actually quite relaxing and meditative.

Phantasy Star Online 2 Comes To Steam Next Week, Full PC System Requirements Revealed

Publisher Sega has officially announced that the online action-RPG Phantasy Star Online 2 will make its way to Steam on August 5. You can download the game for free from the digital distributor.

Alongside launching on Steam, Sega confirmed that the first big content update for Phantasy Star Online 2 will arrive on the same day. The free update, titled Episode 4, will roll out on August 5 for Windows 10 PC and Xbox One. It brings with it a host of additional content, including a new planet, more enemies, an increased level cap, and more. In the meantime, you can check out PSO2’s Steam system requirements below:

Phantasy Star Online 2 Steam System Requirements

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 64bit
  • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 and above
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 7800GT AMD Radeon HD2900XT (or a Graphics Card of the same caliber and above)
  • DirectX: Version 9.0
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 80 GB available space
  • Additional Notes – Monitor Resolution: 1280 × 720 and above, Disk Drive 80GB and above (NTFS Format)

“It is our goal to bring Phantasy Star Online 2 to as many players as we can,” PSO2 Team North America’s head of marketing, Fred White, said in a press release. “We have heard the requests for a Steam launch, and we are excited to announce that soon Steam users in 36 countries on six continents will be able to experience PSO2 on their platform of choice, including popular features like Steam Achievements and Remote Play. The Steam Store page for PSO2 opens today.”

Sega recently announced a brand-new expansion for Phantasy Star Online 2 that will launch in 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Titled New Genesis, the free DLC will overhaul that current PS02 experience with a new graphics engine, revamped combat, and more. Though New Genesis is a massive update for Phantasy Star Online 2, developer Online R&D and Sega have confirmed that the expansion will coexist with the main game.

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Halo Infinite – Everything You Need To Know

The latest game in the long running Halo franchise has made its gameplay debut at Xbox’s July Games Showcase. We got 8 full minutes of gameplay along with a brand new trailer and plenty of interviews with developer 343.

In this video we compile all the details we know about the game into one super video for your convenience. We breakdown all the story details, such as the game’s main villain, War Chief Escharum, who is the leader of the Banished. We dive into how the game is structured and what exactly the upgrade tab on the menu is for. And of course we tally up all the new and returning weapons you’ll get your hands on.

Halo Infinite is set to be a launch title for Microsoft’s brand new Xbox Series X later this fall. It will also be playable on the Xbox One line of consoles as well as PC. Yes, even steam. Make sure to come back to GameSpot for even more news on Halo Infinite.