Control, Which Released Today, Is $10 Off On PS4, Xbox One

As the popularity of digital games increases, it’s clear retailers are doing what they can to make physical copies more appealing to gamers who might prefer the convenience of a download. For Amazon and Walmart, the answer has been to drop the price on games at release, offering new titles for $49.94 when they would normally go for $60.

From Mortal Kombat 11 to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, we’ve seen this pattern emerge in a big way over the course of 2019. Now, Remedy’s new action-adventure game Control is the latest to receive the release day discount treatment–the title is already on sale for $10 off (PS4 and Xbox One only) at Walmart and Amazon.

At Walmart, you’ll find the PS4 version selling for $50.94 and the Xbox One version selling for $49.94. Both come with free two-day shipping. At Amazon, the PS4 version is listed at $50.94 but is temporarily out of stock; however, Amazon will still let you order the game at that price if you’re willing to wait a bit longer for delivery. According to Amazon, you’ll be notified by email with an estimated delivery date, and you won’t be charged until the item ships.

The Xbox One version, fortunately, is still in stock at Amazon for $49.94, and you can even get free one-day shipping with your purchase if you have Amazon Prime.

Get Control on PS4

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The game earned an 8/10 in GameSpot’s Control review, in which Peter Brown praised the game’s gorgeous art style, stylish combat, and intriguing approach to complex concepts. “It’s not often that a game invades my thoughts the way Control has,” he wrote. “I’m at the point where I want to consume every last thing it has to offer. And if I’m honest, it also makes me want to go back and replay Remedy’s past games, too. Sure, it’s a faulty metroidvania in some respects, but there are so many exceptional qualities afoot that Control handily deflects any momentary ire. I can’t wait to take part in discussions about the game, to see what others have figured out, and to better understand where it all fits into Jesse’s story.”

Borderlands 3’s Mechs and Pets Are Skills You’ll Actually Care About

Until recently, I had only a passing interest in Borderlands 3. I knew I’d play it, but it wasn’t something I was excited for. But since the full character roster was announced, things are different. My interest in Borderlands 3 has notably peaked thanks to a couple of big reveals: the Iron Bear mech and FL4K’s collection of pets.

Borderlands has always had varied character classes, but I’ve found them difficult to invest in. Deployable turrets, holographic decoys, and summonable drones are all useful battle tools, but they’re simply functional. As such, I’ve generally found the Vault Hunters a bit, well… boring, which shouldn’t be the case when you consider Borderlands’ bombastic style. However, it looks like Borderlands 3 is solving this issue with Moze and FL4K by way of special abilities that are effectively dependable pals that you can build a ‘bond’ with and affection for, rather than soulless utilities on a belt.

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Microsoft’s New Age of Empires Studio Won’t Develop Games

During E3 2019 earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it had acquired Brutal Legend and Psychonauts studio Double Fine and created another brand-new studio to focus on developing the Age of Empires franchise. As it turns out, the latter, newly-formed studio isn’t directly making games and is actually more of a production outfit overseeing other studios’ work on the Age of Empires franchise.

The new, as yet unnamed, Microsoft studio, helmed by veteran producer and former Xbox Game Studios general manager, Shannon Loftis, will have a responsibility to ensure Age of Empires games from other studios are going in the right direction. That’s according to Microsoft creative director, Adam Isgreen, who spoke with PCGamesInsider.biz.

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“We do have an internal team but we’re really providing oversight to our wonderful development partners–our team at Forgotten Empires that made Age of Empires: Definitive Edition and is working on Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, but we also have a group in Australia–Tantalus Media–that’s working on Age of Empires III,” Isgreen explained.

“We have Relic up in Vancouver. But they’re also helping each other out with all the games, too. Our role at Microsoft is to enable these great developers to make Age products and to be the overseers and the ones making sure that we’re on-message and on-brand for delivering what we believe to be great Age of Empires experiences. They’re accessible, for all ages and you may learn something about history whether you want to or not. That kind of approach, a game that’s accessible that is really meant for a large audience, across the world. We have a wonderful userbase from all across the globe that plays Age of Empires games every month and we want to make sure we can bring everybody in, not just from specific cultures.”

Microsoft announced the remasters for Age of Empires II and III back in 2017, along with the Relic-developed Age of Empires IV–the first new entry in the series in 14 years. Last week saw Age of Empires: Definitive Edition surprise-launch for Xbox Game Pass on PC during Gamescom.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is set to launch on November 14 on PC with crossplay across Windows 10 and Steam.

Get an Apple Watch Series 4 for the Lowest Price Yet

Currently, Apple Watch Series 4 is pretty much the pinnacle of smartwatch and fitness tracking technology. But with the Series 3 still being sold, it can be hard to justify the extra cash you need to spend to get an Apple Watch Series 4. As luck would have it, today Amazon is offering select Series 4 models for their lowest price yet. Let’s look at the details.

Save $69 on Apple Watch Series 4 (44mm)

Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection Announced; Coming January 2020

Capcom has released compilations of the classic Mega Man and Mega Man X games, and now another spin-off collection is in the works. Capcom has announced the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch with a release date of January 21, 2020.

The collection includes six games: Mega Man Zero 1-4, Mega Man ZX, and Mega Man ZX Advent. It promises an artwork gallery, music player, and a new Z Chaser mode with leaderboard. The Zero and ZX games were notoriously difficult, so this compilation also includes a “Casual Scenario Mode” and “Save Assist” to let you enjoy the story at your own pace.

The Mega Man Zero and ZX games appeared on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS platforms. They take place hundreds of years after the Mega Man X games and star the sword-wielding Zero with a new art style and surrounded by a different cast of characters. They were notable for their use of an open-world area and a more RPG-like power-up mechanic. ZX allowed you to play as a male or female protagonist for the first time in the series.

These were also among the earliest games made by Inti Creates, which has gone on to develop the Mega Man-like series Azure Striker Gunvolt, along with other retro-styled games Blaster Master Zero and Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon.

The collection was leaked before the announcement with a brief appearance on the PlayStation Store in Hong Kong, but now Capcom has made the announcement official with additional platforms.

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Cyberpunk 2077 Stream To Show New Footage, Reveal Info On Playstyles, City Districts, And More

New Cyberpunk 2077 information is set to be revealed this week ahead of its April 2020 release. CD Projekt Red is hosting a stream for the upcoming game that will unveil a 15-minute edit of what was shown to attendees and press at Gamescom last week.

The stream will be hosted by Hollie Bennett, CD Projekt Red’s UK head of comms, and will feature interviews with a lineup of developers ready to shed additional insight on the footage that’s shown. The stream promises to delve into the thought process behind creative decisions, reveal information about Pacifica–one of the districts of Night City–and share tons of new information on the playstyles you’ll be able to adopt in Cyberpunk 2077.

The company also planned to showcase gameplay at PAX West but there’s been a change of plans and it will be streaming from Warsaw instead. “There are many logistical (and some creative) reasons behind this decision,” CD Projekt Red said on its website. “The most important thing we want to say is that we’re sorry for the change of plans. We know that many of you waited to meet us face to face in Seattle and it bums us out that we won’t be able to see each other there.” Despite this, the PAX cosplay contest is still on, there just won’t be a developer panel on-site.

The stream takes place on August 30 at 2pm EST // 11am PT // 6pm GMT // 8PM CEST on the official CD Projekt Red Twitch and Mixer channels.

We also recently learned that the map in Cyberpunk 2077 is smaller than The Witcher 3, but that it’s much denser. The game is expected to have a new game plus mode, too, and will feature a harder difficulty that turns off the game’s UI. Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red says it is looking into multiplayer. Producer Richard Borzymowski told GameSpot that while nothing could be confirmed, the team will “think [about expansions]” after game development is done.

Cyberpunk 2077 launches April 16, 2020 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, with an unannounced release date for Google Stadia.

Jeff Goldblum’s Response To Spider-Man Leaving MCU Is As Absurd As You’d Expect

In the age of memes, Jeff Goldblum has become as known for his spirited off-screen persona as he is for his various film roles. So naturally, when he heard the news about the split between Disney and Sony, putting the future of Spider-Man films in flux, his reaction was appropriately Goldblum-esque.

In an interview on the D23 red carpet, Goldblum expressed his ruffled shock and horror at the news.

“No! This is the first I’ve heard of it. I’m crestfallen! Save–what’s happening? I didn’t know any of this,” he told Variety. After pausing a moment for the interviewer to explain the situation, he continued, “I’m not a business person, whatever you say is Greek to me. I don’t know, it will all work out, I’m sure. Good luck, they’ll figure it out.”

At the time Goldblum reacted, news was still breaking of the impending split. Since then the situation has gotten more certain, with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige suggesting the days of Spider-Man in the MCU are over and star Tom Holland talking about future post-Marvel Spider-Man projects.

Naturally, the always meme-ready actor immediately became a meme, with the Internet seizing on both his wild gesticulations and the dramatic emphasis he put on his feelings.

Goldblum himself is no stranger to the MCU, having played The Grandmaster in Thor Ragnarok. He’s also continuing his relationship with Disney with an original show on the streaming service Disney+. The World According to Jeff Goldblum is a travel docu-series produced by the recently acquired National Geographic brand. It captures his reactions to everyday culture ranging from Korean barbecue to synchronized swimming. It will be available upon the launch of the service.

Mortal Kombat Movie Casts Its Sonya, Kano, And More

A new Mortal Kombat movie is on the way, and now the film has cast three more of its lead roles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jessica McNamee (The Meg) will play Sonya Blade, while Josh Lawson (House of Lies) has joined the movie in the role of Kano. Deadpool 2 actor Lewis Tan has been cast as well, but there are no details yet on the character he plays.

Tan played Shatterstar in Deadpool 2 and Zhou Cheng in Iron Fist. He also has history with Mortal Kombat specifically, as he portrayed Kung Jin in the Mortal Kombat X: Generations series.

Greg Russo, who is also writing the script for the new Resident Evil reboot movie, is writing the screenplay for the new Mortal Kombat film.

This latest round of casting news follows the announcements from earlier this month of the casting for Liu Kang, Mileena, and Jax. And while it is not confirmed yet, it’s also reported that Thor: Ragnarok actor Tadanobu Asano is in talks to play Raiden, according to Deadline.

The new Mortal Kombat movie will be directed by Australian commercials director Simon McQuoid, who is making his directorial debut with the project. Aquaman director James Wan is producing. The movie will shoot in South Australia, and is set to be one of the country’s biggest productions ever there.

The first Mortal Kombat movie, released in 1995, was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, who would go on to make the Resident Evil series. The movie made more than $120 million worldwide, but its 1997 sequel, Annihilation, was a disappointment by comparison with only $51 million.

An internet video series called Mortal Kombat Legacy ran from 2011-2013.

The newest Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat 11, is the best-selling video game of 2019 so far.

The Metro 2033 Movie Is Still Happening, But A Lot Has Changed

Back in 2012, a movie based on Metro 2033 was announced, but little was heard about it in the years that followed. Now, it’s been reported that things are picking back up, though much has changed.

According to Variety, Russian media company Gazprom Media will produce a movie based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s book Metro 2033; this was also adapted for the 2010 video game.

According to Variety, filming will begin next year with a premiere date set for Russia on January 1, 2022. There is no word yet on the worldwide release details, nor is it known who will star in it and who will direct.

Gazprom Media’s Valery Fedorovich said, “This is a dream project, the most ambitious and large-scale film that we have ever launched. We intend to invest an unprecedented sum … in the production and promotion of this movie both in Russia and abroad.”

Glukhovsky said in his own statement that he received “numerous offers” over the past decade to turn Metro 2033 into a movie, and he turned them all down until now. “In Russia, I didn’t see any producers who could make a good [screen adaptation of] this book. It just seemed impossible. But now I finally met a team that I can entrust Metro with,” he said.

In 2012, it was reported that MGM had obtained the rights to make the Metro 2033 movie, but now it seems the rights changed hands and went to Gazprom. It was announced at the time that F. Scott Frazier, who wrote the Vin Diesel movie xXx: Return of Xander Cage and has also been tapped to write the Gears of War movie, would write the Metro 2033 film but that seems to have changed as well.

In Metro 2033 the game, players spend much of their time in underground subway tunnels travelling from station to station, climbing to the surface on occasion to explore the toxic atmosphere.

As for the Metro video games, Metro 2033 was followed up by 2013’s Metro: Last Light. The latest game, Metro: Exodus, came out in February 2019 to positive reviews. All of the games were developed by 4A Games.