A special Transformers: TCG boxed set and 2019 convention pack are coming to San Diego Comic Con this year, and you can get a first look at the cards stats, as well as the (always) excellent Transformers art, right here.
The boxed set celebrates 35 years of transforming tape-decks waging Cybertronian warfare, featuring Autobot communicator Blaster and Decepticon communicator Soundwave, as well as their cassette robot underlings. Check out each card in both their alt and bot modes, as well as their stats, in the slideshow below:
Both the boxed set and the special Transformers: TCG Convention Pack will be available for purchase at “San Diego Comic Con, Gen Con, and PAX Unplugged,” and if you can’t attend any of the conventions, you can buy them directly from Hasbro Pulse after SDCC concludes.
When DC Universe original program Swamp Thing was canceled after its first episode aired, it was a surprising move to everyone who tuned in to watch the premiere. It wasn’t just them, though. There were those working hard on the show that didn’t see it coming, including showrunner Gary Dauberman.
Speaking to GameSpot while promoting his new film Annabelle Comes Home, Dauberman said the cancellation was “a bit of a gut punch.” He continued, “I am so proud of that show and what the crew and the cast pulled off because it marked the high point in leading the charge. That is not an easy thing to pull off.”
According to Dauberman, he and fellow showrunner Mark Verheiden worked hard to match the tone of the comics in bringing Swamp Thing to life. “The comic series is so exceptional, there’s a reason why it’s been around as long as it has and we wanted to give the characters respect,” he explained. “And also, Mark and I went in, when we [were] writing the pilot, talking about the first season, we wanted to really be true to the spirit of the book.”
What would that have meant for future seasons? While Dauberman didn’t go into specific stories he wanted to tackle, he had a general idea for the structure of the show going forward. “I was looking forward to telling a couple more self-contained stories, not self-contained itself, but like three arc stories too, coupled within the larger [mysteries],” he said. “Like a season-long mystery or engine, but also be able to explore some of those dark corners of the swamp where you get those, where it almost feels like a little bit like an anthology.”
While Dauberman said they weren’t considering dipping into a “monster of the week” format, there were some monsters he wanted to explore; namely Swamp Thing stories that include werewolves and vampires. “We could have done so much that I’m sad that we’re not going to be able to get to do in this incarnation, you know,” he lamented.
At least DC Universe will continue to air the 10-episode first season of the show before officially calling it quits. New episodes of Swamp Thing arrive on the service on Fridays. Anabelle Comes Home is in theaters now.
Cuphead developer Studio MDHR has announced that the upcoming DLC expansion, The Delicious Last Course, has been delayed until 2020.
In a press release, the team cited a desire to avoid the unhealthy “crunch” on a project that is all too common in the gaming industry, saying, “The development of the original game taught us a great deal about the importance of making things in a way that’s healthy and sustainable for our team.” It also sounds like the DLC simply needed more time in general. “While we initially announced a 2019 release date for the Delicious Last Course expansion,” Studio MDHR said, “our highest priority is making sure this new adventure meets the meticulous level of care and quality we always strive for…We’ll be moving the release of The Delicious Last Course, for all platforms, to 2020.” They also dropped a new trailer for the expansion, which you can view below:
Shenmue 3 developer Ys Net has announced that it will be unable to provide Steam keys to Kickstarter backers at launch. In addition, in the lead up to Shenmue 3’s launch, it has also been announced that a Stretch Goal that was met by backers has not been included in the game.
In a blog post update on Kickstarter, Ys Net explained that “coordination with the sales policies of the involved companies was untenable”, and as a result the developer is unable to provide Steam keys for PC players on launch day.
While not clearly laid out in the post, this is likely due to Ys Net and publisher Deep Silver partnering with Epic Games Store for PC distribution. Shenmue 3 is currently a limited-time exclusive for the Epic Games Store, and will be for one year. This deal was brokered after the Kickstarter began, and back then supporters had been told that Shenmue 3 would be released on Steam. This change, bolstered by the current discontent with Epic’s exclusive strategy, led to fan backlash against Ys Net.
The first trailer for Knives Out is here. It’s the latest movie from Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, and is a star-studded murder mystery which is set to hit theaters in November.
The movie stars Daniel Craig and Lakeith Stanfeld as a pair of cops investigating the murder of an elderly man (Christopher Plummer) during his birthday party in a large mansion. In classic whodunnit style, the killer could be any of the members of his dysfunctional family. It looks like huge fun, with plenty of humour and broad performances from the impressive cast. Check the trailer out below.
Knives Out releases on November 29. The movie also stars Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Katherine Langford, and Jaeden Martell.
In related news, Johnson is still on board to direct a new trilogy of Star Wars movies. This was first announced back in 2017, and despite rumors he was no longer involved, in February Johnson confirmed it was still happening. We’re unlikely to see his next Star Wars movie for some time however. After this December’s Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, the next film in the series will arrive in 2022, directed by former Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Amidst the ongoing 14 Days of Summer event, another update is now live for Fortnite on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. This week marks the second 9.30 content update, and it’s a fairly minor one, introducing one new weapon to the game’s Battle Royale mode, along with new prefabs and missions in Fortnite Creative and Save the World, respectively. Here are the patch notes.
On the Battle Royale side, the only addition this week is a new gun: the Drum Shotgun. This one comes in common, uncommon, and rare varieties, and it can be found as floor loot or in vending machines or Loot Carriers. According to Epic’s patch notes, the Drum Shotgun has a clip size of 12 and deals 45 / 47 / 50 damage per shot.
Fortnite Creative mode, meanwhile, has received seven new prefabs and five new galleries. Save the World’s 14 Days of Summer event also continues with new challenges and a new Wargames simulation called Meltdown. To commemorate the Fourth of July, Epic has also brought back four festive Heroes for a limited time: Stars and Stripes Jonesy, Star-Spangled Headhunter, Patriot Penny, and Old Glory AC.
You can find the patch notes for Fortnite’s second 9.30 content update below, courtesy of Epic Games’ website.
We’re in the second week of Fortnite’s 14 Days of Summer event, which means there are still a few challenges to complete and rewards to unlock before the event ends. Despite its name, 14 Days of Summer will be live until July 16, so you’ll have until then to complete the event’s challenges. If you manage to clear all 14, you’ll unlock a special Smoothie back bling. You can find the full list of 14 Days of Summer challenges, along with our guides to the trickier missions, in our roundup.
Fortnite 9.30 Content Update #2 Patch Notes
Battle Royale
Weapons & Items
Drum Shotgun
Available in Common, Uncommon, and Rare variants.
Clip size of 12
45 / 47 / 50 damage per shot.
Available from Floor Loot, Vending Machines, and Loot Carriers
Creative
Prefabs & Galleries
Added 7 New Prefabs:
Paradise Palms Hotel
Paradise Palms Hotel Pool
Paradise Palms Computer Cafe
Paradise Palms House
Paradise Palms Car Dealership
Truck ‘N’ Oasis
Roadside Diner
Added 5 New Galleries:
Paradise Palms Gallery
Paradise Palms Prop Gallery
Truck ‘N’ Oasis Gallery
Roadside Diner Gallery
Sand & Grass Floor Gallery
Save the World
Missions & Systems
14 Days of Summer
The parade of daily quests and free X-Ray Llamas continues!
Complete the “Light’em Up” quest and earn Stars and Stripes Jonesy
Complete all 14 Days of Summer quests to earn the Boom Bow
14 Days of Summer quests will be available until July 16
New Wargames simulation: Meltdown
In this simulation, your Storm Shield has gone critical and is emitting a growing radiation field.
From what we hear, radiation is unpleasant and causes visibility issues while in direct contact.
A new Wargames simulation means more chances for Event Tickets, a new banner, and more variety to the Daily Wargames Challenges.
Heroes
Four festive Heroes are returning for a limited time:
Stars and Stripes Jonesy, reports in for summer fun!
Standard Perk: Assault Ammo Recovery
Assault weapons have a 24% chance to refund ammo every shot.
Commander Perk: Assault Ammo Recovery+
Assault weapons have a 48% chance to refund ammo every shot.
Available from the 14 Days of Summer “Light’em Up” quest
Star-Spangled Headhunter brightens the weekly store!
Standard Perk: Spoils of War
War Cry grants 25% chance for each shot to cost no ammo.
Commander Perk: Spoils of War +
War Cry grants 50% chance for each shot to cost no ammo.
Available in the Weekly Store from July 3 at 8PM EST to July 10
Patriot Penny bull rushes into the weekly store!
Standard Perk: Emergency Override
When your shield depletes, reset Bull Rush Cooldown. Effect can occur once every 12 seconds.
Commander Perk: Emergency Override +
When your shield depletes, reset Bull Rush Cooldown. Next use of Bull Rush costs 0 Energy. Effect can occur once every 5 seconds.
Available in the Weekly Store from July 3 at 8PM EST to July 10
Old Glory A.C, shifts into the weekly store!
Standard Perk: Impossibility Matrix
Spending a Charge Fragment reduces T.E.D.D.Y. and Shock Tower Cooldowns by an additional 10%.
Commander Perk: Impossibility Matrix +
Spending a Charge Fragment reduces T.E.D.D.Y. and Shock Tower Cooldowns by an additional 30%.
Available in the Weekly Store from July 3 at 8 PM ET to July 10 at 8 PM ET.
Weapons & Items
The Boom Bow arrives in Save the World!
Compound bow that fires arrows that explode on impact.
Hold down the fire button to increase range and velocity.
Considered a Sniper weapon which uses Shells & Slugs ammo.
Marvel’s Spider-Man is nearly a year old, but Insomniac Games has issued yet another free update with a pair of costumes for the web-slinger. This time the fresh wardrobe change is to celebrate the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, hitting theaters today.
The update adds the Upgraded Suit and Stealth Suit from Far From Home. The Upgraded Suit is Spidey’s signature look in the new flick, with his usual red-and-blue color scheme. The Stealth Suit is an all-black iteration with headgear and buckles, as seen briefly in some of the trailers.
As for Far From Home, it bookends the last ten years of Marvel movies with a lighter epilogue after the world-changing events of Avengers: Endgame.
“[Far From Home is] full of heart and good intentions, clever, quick-witted, and confident enough to pull off some really insane reveals,” Meg Downey wrote in GameSpot’s review. “The parts that work, work very, very well. But the parts that don’t tend to feel like stubbed toes or irritating splinters–not life-threatening by any means, but distracting at best and annoying at worst; like someone pulled the curtain back on the MCU’s systemic shortcomings a little too far. Still, if you can ignore that–and it’ll be easier for some than it is for others, depending on your relationship to the MCU at large–you’re in for a pretty good ride.”
Over the few past years, Mike Flanagan has become one of the most prolific and successful directors in horror. The Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House was one of 2018’s best shows, and his adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep is set to arrive in November. Flanagan has a Hill House sequel show on the way next year, and it’s now been reported that he’ll also produce a new horror series for Netflix titled Midnight Mass.
According to Variety, Midnight Mass will be a seven-part show that focuses on an isolated island community that experiences strange and scary events when a mysterious priest arrives among them. Flanagan will direct the show and executively produce alongside his producing partner Trevor Macy. It does not currently have a release date, and no cast has been announced yet.
Midnight Mass is part of a deal that Flanagan and Macy signed with Netflix in February. Flanagan is also making a follow-up to Hill House, titled The Haunting of Bly Manor, which is scheduled for a 2020 release. It will be based on Henry James’ classic novella The Turn of the Screw–check out the first teaser here.
Doctor Sleep will be Flanagan’s second Stephen King adaptation, after 2017’s Gerard’s Game. It’s a sequel to King’s classic The Shining, and stars Ewan McGregor as the adult version of that novel’s Danny Torrance. It hits theaters on November 9 and the first trailer was released last month.
Apex Legends is preparing the launch of Season 2. Respawn has been vocal about learning lessons from its first season, and has already outlined a wide array of changes to expect from the second season. Those include a new character, a revised challenge system, ranked leagues, and more.
Apex Legends Season 2 Start Time And Patch
Apex Legends Season 2 will launch on Tuesday, July 2 at or around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 3 AM AEST (Wednesday). Though this time isn’t exact, Respawn has said it will update the community if it changes significantly.
The patch for Season 2 will be larger than usual. On PC it will be more than 18GB, and on Xbox One and PS4 it will be more than 20GB. Respawn says this is to add extra content, but also to add a fresh build of the game that removes outdated parts and replaces it with more efficient code. Respawn says this will not be the norm, but occasionally players may need to download large file sizes.
New Character: Wattson
Just like the last season, Season 2 will introduce an entirely new Legend to play as. This time it’s Natalie Paquette, aka Wattson. The young science genius and daughter of the man who built King’s Canyon grew up around the Arena. She’s important to the lore of the game, and more significantly, she represents a large difference in play style from other characters.
Wattson uses her scientific wizardry to construct defensive electrical barriers and pylons to control the battlefield. You can read more about her playstyle to learn all about the latest addition to the roster.
The update will revise how challenges work, with a new series of daily and weekly objectives aimed at keeping players engaged while reducing the grind for rewards. Completing daily or weekly challenges will count toward your Battle Pass, and over half of the challenges will grant a full Battle Pass level. Other challenges will grant Stars which will count as progress towards a Battle Pass levels.
Daily challenges will be groups of three tasks assigned randomly from a pool of 200, such as dealing damage in a particular area or playing as a specific character. Those award 3,000 Stars apiece. Weekly challenges will be doled out insets of seven. These will be much longer and are intended to last multiple play sessions. Four of the seven will reward 6,000 Stars while the remaining three will grant an entire Battle Pass level. An additional three special challenges will also be available and reset on a weekly basis, giving Battle Pass levels and Stars. Read more details about Apex Legends’ Season 2 Challenges.
Ranked Leagues
Season 2 will introduce another new feature, Ranked Leagues. The revised ranking aims to help with matchmaking with a new score system across six competitive tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Apex Predator. Each tier has four divisions, except for Apex Predator. Each ranked match will cost a number of Ranked Points (RP) that increases based on your tier. You earn RP during the match from kills and your overall placement in a match. The maximum you can score in a match is 17 RP.
All players will start in Bronze, and you’ll earn rewards. Respawn has said it is still determining what the rewards will be, but for now it knows it will be giving out special badges based on your highest rank achieved.
The free PlayStation Plus offerings for July have gotten a last-minute substitution. Sony announced that instead of Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, as previously announced, members will instead get Detroit: Become Human. This is the Digital Deluxe edition, which means it also includes another Quantic Dream game: Heavy Rain. The statement announcing the change didn’t give much insight as to the reason for the swap, but the news comes just hours before the free games are set to arrive on PSN.
“We are making a swap to the PS Plus games lineup for July,” the announcement states. “This month, we are adding Detroit: Become Human Digital Deluxe Edition, which also includes Heavy Rain, to the July games lineup instead of Pro Evolution Soccer 2019. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
The two-for-one Quantic Dream offering will be joined by Horizon Turbo Chase. Quantic Dream’s games have become known for moody, atmospheric cinematic qualities and photorealistic characters, often matching their real-life actors. Detroit: Become Human is the studio’s latest, taking place in a not-too-distant future where androids begin to rise up against their subservient roles.
“I played with my best intentions. Things didn’t always go the way I wanted, but that was a burden I chose to bear, and the story benefitted from my commitment, flowcharts be damned,” Peter Brown wrote in GameSpot’s review. “After completing the game, I tried to go back and fight my instincts to see what would happen if I chose a darker path. It never felt justified nor worthwhile. Detroit is well worth playing, but it struggles to strike the right balance between giving you freedom of choice and reminding you that it’s all a game in the end. Cage and Quantic Dream are getting closer to nailing this style of game, but it’s obvious that there’s still room to grow.”
