While Bumblebee may not have a proper post credits sequence, it does tack on an extra little bit of story before the credits actually roll, rounding out the plot and setting up for sequels–maybe? Bumblebee’s stinger (pun intended) doesn’t have a lot of meat to it, but it does start treading some strangely murky water when you actually look at it in the scope of the whole live action Transformers franchise, which Bumblebee appears to have rebooted–emphasis on “appears to.”
Needless to say, spoilers to follow–not just from Bumblebee, but from whole swaths of the Transformers franchise.
Bumblebee highlights the first major Earth-based interaction of Bumblebee the Autobot, and a human girl named Charlie who finds him as a VW Beetle in a junkyard. The whole story is set in the 1980s, not long after the “fall” of Cybertron to the Decepticon army. Charlie and Bee are chased around Earth for a while by two new Decepticons, Shatter and Dropkick, as well as John Cena, before eventually saving the day and–tragically–going their separate ways. Charlie gets a new car–a refurbished classic Camaro she and her late dad had been working on–and Bee, having effectively blown his VW Bug cover, takes a new alternate form of a black and yellow modern Camaro.
Then, following their bittersweet goodbye, we see Bee rendezvousing with a recently arrived Optimus Prime, who hopefully directs his attention to the sky where around seven Cybertronian crafts can be seen entering the atmosphere. It’s all very obviously working to set up the next movie in the sequence–though it seems to simultaneously be working to slot itself into the groundwork laid by the first Michael Bay movie back in 2007. It was that first movie in which Bumblebee chose a modern Camaro as his alt-mode, after all, and the place where the whole idea of Bee using his radio to talk was first introduced. If this movie does anything, it’s provide Bee a worthy origin story expressly for that 2007 debut, filling in all the gaps that any fan would ever want filled as charmingly as possible.
However, filling those gaps and answering those questions also creates new ones. The Bay arm of the Transformers franchise began getting seriously off the rails with its own history right off the bat by establishing the presence of the “AllSpark” (a mythological Cybertronian artifact) on Earth as early as the 1800s in the first film. Later, in the most recent installment of the Bay movies, Transformers: The Last Knight, it was implied that Cybertronians had reached Earth back in the days of Arthurian legend. Prior to that, Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen raised the idea that Cybertronians had been aware of Earth since antiquity and even been involved in the rise of Ancient Egypt.
But Bumblebee gives us a look at not only the fall of Cybertron itself–happening, apparently, in relative real time to the mid ’80s on Earth–but also explicitly tells us that this moment was actually the first time Optimus Prime had ever scanned for or sent anyone to Earth at all, making Bumblebee the first Cybertronian to set foot on the planet. This later seems to be supported by the arrival of the movie’s main antagonists, Decepticons Dropkick and Shatter, who make the whole “first contact” schtick an ongoing gag.
Click To Unmute
Bumblebee Star John Cena Fact Checks His Own Wikipedia Page
Spider-Man PS4 Adds Sam Raimi Movie Suit – GS News Update
Destiny 2: Forsaken – Secret Cutscene Reveals A New Mystery (SPOILERS!)
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that future installments in the post-Bumblebee Transformers franchise are going to have to work from the ground up. Everything regarding the timeline is just vague enough that, with a little narrative hopscotching, it’s possible to slot stories into the mix that justify the temporal strangeness. After all, if we’re to assume that the AllSpark just hasn’t been “activated” yet in the ’80s, it’s completely possible than the Transformers arrived on the planet and were none the wiser, left, and then came back when it was. The characters that would, in theory, be duplicates of robots who have already shown up in the Bay movies–like Starscream and Ravage–could easily just be seen here in older alt-modes or less advanced forms. There’s no real limit to the amount of hand waving that can happen in a universe like this.
Or, more likely, future Transformers movies are just going to cherry pick exactly what they want from the established canon and easily forego the rest. Bumblebee may not represent a direct, hard reboot of the entire franchise, but it’s certainly a major departure in tone and direction–while it may be making a vague attempt to at least loosely hold things together, it’s absolutely not beholden to weave the entire shared universe into one cohesive thing. And to be honest, that’s probably for the best.
Aquaman may only have a mid credits scene–sorry anyone hoping for more Deathstroke teases this time around–but it makes it count if you know what you’re looking for. We’ll break it down for you right here, right now, but first: Be warned, obvious and major spoilers from the movie to follow, so please proceed with caution.
Black Manta fans may have found themselves just slightly disappointed at their favorite villain essentially being defeated at about the midpoint of the movie, but never fear: David Hyde is far from done in the franchise. The mid-credits scene follows him from where we last saw him, knocked unconscious and thrown into the water off the Italian cost, drifting on a piece of wreckage out at sea. He’s not dead, but he’s certainly seen better days. Fortunately for him, an unlikely ally shows up just in time to make a heroic rescue: Dr. Stephen Shin–you remember, that guy who showed up for about half a second on the news with some strong opinions about Atlantis, right?
Don’t panic if you don’t. The movie doesn’t give Dr. Shin a ton of time in the spotlight, but we promise he is there, and better yet, he is actually from the Aquaman comics, so we’ve got some history to work from. A relatively recent addition to the Aquaman pantheon, Dr. Shin was introduced at the start of the New 52 era in 2011 as a friend of both Tom and Arthur Curry. He believed, wholeheartedly, in the existence of Atlantis, and was thrilled for a chance to interact with Tom’s half-Atlantean son. He even helped Arthur develop some of his abilities and powers, a role that was largely given to Vulko in the movie.
However, as time passed, Shin became increasingly frustrated about Arthur’s reluctance to share Atlantis’s location and eventually turned on him. He even tried to murder him, so naturally, you can imagine there’s some bad blood there. Shin eventually comes back around to help Arthur out when the aquatic monsters known as the Trench start attacking the surface world, however, so things (sort of) worked out in the end.
Of course, things aren’t exactly following the same trajectory for the movie universe. It doesn’t look like Shin has had any real connection with the Curry family at all, so where and why he got the ideas about Atlantis in his head remain a mystery. He does, however, seem to be suitably unhinged, which leads us to believe he’s definitely got “attempted murder in the name of science” potential somewhere down the line.
Click To Unmute
Aquaman – Official Trailer #2
Spider-Man PS4 Adds Sam Raimi Movie Suit – GS News Update
Destiny 2: Forsaken – Secret Cutscene Reveals A New Mystery (SPOILERS!)
Add to that the actual mid-credits scene itself, in which Dr. Shin rescues Black Manta and promptly becomes totally fascinated with his tech, and we’re looking at a recipe for full blown villain catastrophe. Manta may not have hung out in the foreground for too long in this first outing, but an alliance with someone like Shin would lay some real groundwork for a comeback. After all, Manta knows more about Atlantis than any human on the planet right now, as far as we know, and Shin has both resources and scientific platforms at his disposal. The two of them putting their heads together could mean a world of hurt for both Arthur and Atlantis itself.
That raises some questions. What, beyond the ethically dubious thrill of discovery, does Dr. Shin actually want? What beyond killing Arthur and avenging his father does Manta really want? What will Manta have to say about Orm now? And will Orm want in on Manta and Shin’s little cabal if he ever finds out about it?
Hopefully we actually will get an Aquaman 2 that is able to explore these potential plot threads–there are certainly enough of them to go around.
If you want the glow of a fireplace but not the fire insurance to actually own one, a virtual fireplace is your next best bet, especially for the holiday season.
The yule log TV tradition goes back to the black-and-white-era, when one or two networks might have broadcasted a yule log fireplace on an endless loop, with Christmas music tinkling in the background. Today, there’s a wide variety of streaming options for you to choose from.
Which one feels the most authentic and holly jolly? Here are the 10 best streaming fireplaces, ranked.
During a livestream, 343 Studios announced more details for Halo Infinite, the upcoming sixth mainline entry in Microsoft’s first-party series. Based on what was announced, it seems like Halo Infinite is still a long way off.
343 Studios is working on a new engine for Halo Infinite, which could push the game’s release date to after 2019. We can expect four-player splitscreen in Halo Infinite as 343 is testing the feature in the new engine right now. During the stream, 343 Studios also announced the armor customization in Infinite will be inspired by the system seen in Reach. Also, players who reach level 152 in Halo 5: Guardians will receive a special reward in Infinite. The studio did not announce what that reward might be.
The stream did reveal a few details for Halo 5 as well. 343 Studios announced the team did not have much left to add to the game in terms of armor and emblem customization. Although it was not explicitly expressed, it was implied that post-launch development on Halo 5 is winding down as more of the team refocuses on Infinite’s development. For more of the announcements during the stream, check out Reddit user murwo’s post.
343 Studios has teased that Halo Infinite features the coolest design that Master Chief has ever had. The developer hasn’t revealed many details about the game other than that. It hasn’t even been decided whether Halo Infinite will strive for a Teen rating like Halo 5 or return to the franchise’s Mature rating like in the past.
Halo Infinite is currently in development for Xbox One and PC, but it has no definitive release date.
Back in 2014, Yacht Club Games took the gameplay of Mega Man and Duck Tales, and merged them together with were, at the time, stand out game design elements to create something truly special. For 2018, it was Sabotage Studio modernizing the design elements of Ninja Gaiden that created an incredible new gaming experience in The Messenger. And, as a huge fan of platform games ever since the NES days, this was something I had to check out.
Similar to Ninja Gaiden, you control a ninja set on a quest to stop evil. However, unlike Tecmo’s classic platformer, you earn an additional jump anytime you swing your sword and connect with an obstacle or enemy. From here, the game is a somewhat traditional platformer, but, similar to Shovel Knight, instead of lives, you’ll lose currency for each death. The gameplay is consistently excellent, with level layout and enemy placement always well thought-out and at times challenging, but never overtly-so.
And while all of this is designed well, it’s the writing, and a major plot twist halfway through the game, that steal the show. While elements of this twist are shown in the trailer, I don’t want to spoil too much of it, as it’s really worth experiencing for yourself.
The writing is hilarious, consistently pointing out and making fun of video game tropes… even occasionally tying directly into the gameplay itself. I found myself regularly laughing out loud and falling in love with the Shopkeeper for all of his antics. Between this brilliant writing and modern take on a traditional platformer, The Messenger is easily one of the best platform games of the past few years, and a game both new and veteran players can enjoy alike. | Dave Klein
Do you like going on grand adventures? Do you like to jump over perilous obstacles, race against the clock, and test your instincts in the heat of battle? If you answered yes, my friend, it sounds like you are into action-adventure games!
Less a specific genre than a broad category, action-adventure is a bit of a catch-all, but it definitely doesn’t include games focused on puzzles, sports, or narrative alone. If you’re after games that put twitch gameplay front and center, usually alongside a compelling story to inspire you, then the list of games below is sure to contain a lot of options for you to consider as you head into the holiday season and the new year. These games were all reviewed by GameSpot in 2018, and earned high-scores, 8 and above; we’ve organized them by score and in alphabetical order.
While reviews are the opinion of a single writer, the GameSpot team at large has also come up with a list of what the group agrees are the year’s ten best games. It’s no surprise that there are plenty of action-adventure games among the group, including two remarkable PS4 exclusives: God of War and Marvel’s Spider-Man.
When God of War arrived, everyone agreed that it was a momentous revival of an aging action-adventure series. As much as it bucked the trends we all grew to expect from the series, it also owned them to fuel the plot. It’s one of the smartest sequels in memory, and a fantastic game that was executed remarkably well.
The same can be said of Spider-Man, which, in the hands of Insomniac Games, was driven by a near pitch-perfect swinging system that made the open-world structure of NYC a blast to zip through. As a character, Peter Parker also felt relatable, and by skipping the oft-told origin story, we were allowed to dive right into his day-to-day struggles as both a teenager and a superhero in disguise.
2018 also saw the release of Dead Cells. This 2D side-scrolling adventure is punishingly difficult at first, but the more you play the more clear your character’s potential and the world’s threats become. Not a game to let you get too comfortable, the randomized aspect of level layouts and equipment drops during repeat attempts to beat the game ensure that you’re always on your toes, no matter your experience level.
For a look at all of the games that made our top-10 list for 2018, head on over to the Game of the Year 2018 hub. If you want to jump straight to our Game of the Year, don’t expect us to spoil it here! Open this page for the big reveal, and a special message from the team behind the game.
With the end of December drawing near, Microsoft has announced the Xbox Games With Gold for January 2019. It’s a solid lineup of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games that anyone with an Xbox Live Gold membership will be able to download for free during various times throughout the month. Let’s take a look at the first games that will be available in the new year.
Between January 1-31, Xbox One owners can download Celeste. This pixelated platformer is all about jumping and dashing through expertly designed (but seriously challenging) obstacles as you make your way to the peak of a mountain. It has simple, tight controls that you’ll need to master in order to make it through terrain riddled with things like pits, spikes, bounce pads, and toxic black goo. Thankfully, the checkpoint system is forgiving enough that you’re never put too far back after your many inevitable deaths.
The other Xbox One freebie is the racing game WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship. This realistic rally game puts you face to face with all manner of challenges, including mud, fog, darkness, and ice, plus car troubles like engine breakdowns and punctured tires. If you’re up for it, you can grab WRC 6 between January 16 and February 15.
The Xbox 360 Games with Gold for January are acclaimed titles as well, and thanks to backwards compatibility, you can play them both on Xbox One. You can pick up the two-player action/puzzle game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light from January 1-15. And between January 16-31 you can grab Far Cry 2, an open-world shooter some fans consider superior to its numerous sequels.
That’s what’s coming in January. Right now it’s not too late to download some of December’s Games with Gold, including QUBE 2, Never Alone, and Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.
Remedy Entertainment’s next game, Control, has no shortage of science fiction weirdness and supernatural creepiness. A lot of that revolves around the Oldest House, a strange building where alternate dimensions and realities converge. It’s where a government agency called the Bureau of Control, tasked with understanding and managing all the weirdness, sets up its headquarters.
The latest trailer for Control endeavors to fill players in a little bit more about the Oldest House and what exactly the Bureau of Control is all about. It’s narrated by James McCaffrey, who Remedy fans will recognize as the voice of Max Payne from the first two games in that franchise. In the trailer, McCaffrey plays Zachariah Trench, the director of the Bureau of Control. We know that Trench dies before he’s replaced by Jesse Faden, Control’s player character, but it seems Trench will be a presence throughout the story.
As Trench explains, the Oldest House was discovered in the 1960s by Control agents, and while on the outside it looked like a normal skyscraper, on the inside, it was anything but. The trailer fills in a bit of story as relates to what might be supernatural events in our world, suggesting that things like haunted houses are actually places where other dimensions seep into our own. The Oldest House has rooms and rooms of such places.
The trailer also gives glimpses of the Hiss–the supernatural force that invades the Oldest House and can possess Bureau agents–and drips with oppressive atmosphere and horror leanings. At E3 2018, Remedy boss Sam Lake discussed how Control invokes the dark sci-fi genre known as the new weird, which encompasses stories like Annihilation, and this trailer definitely gets that across. Now we have to wait for Control’s release sometime in 2019 to find out just how weird the Oldest House can get.
Bethesda has closed out the year by laying out a roadmap of what we can expect the beginning of 2019 to bring to Fallout 76. The studio outlined a few details of patches coming in January, and promised more info to come early next year.
In the blog post, the studio noted that a mid-January patch will fix the lever-action rifle reload animation, some perk cards, and the crowds at Whitespring. The studio promised that going forward in 2019, patch notes will be accompanied by a brief explanation from developers detailing the rationale behind balance changes and adjustments. It’s also working on a new mode without PVP restrictions, allowing you a little more flexibility in how you play. That will be coming in the first quarter of 2019.
It’s fair to say that Fallout 76 has had a rocky launch. The game itself released in a buggy state, leading to a poor reception including in GameSpot’s own review, which scored it a 4/10. It’s been a series of mishaps since then, from an investigation into a PC refund policy to a bait-and-switch with canvas bags in the Collector’s Edition, and finally a personal data leak. For its part Bethesda has continued to support the game with patches and has promised to listen to community feedback going forward.
“Bethesda has stated it intends to continue supporting the game for a long time, but at launch, Fallout 76 is a poor experience,” wrote critic Edmond Tran. “There are echoes of the series’ admirable qualities, but look past that facade, past the cute Vault Boy animations, past the familiar radio tracks, and you’ll find no heart–just an inconsequential wasteland doomed to be nuked over and over again.”
Despite its issues, it seems to have had a solid launch, selling decently well in physical copies according to data tracking firm NPD.
