Is Apple Arcade Worth Getting?
Apple Arcade, the mobile gaming subscription service for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac users is officially out starting today, along with the launch of iOS 13. And if you’ve been on the fence wondering if $5 a month is worth paying to play a selection of curated mobile games that are all certified as ad and microtransaction-free, I can tell you that based on my experience with the beta it most certainly is.
I’ve been able to play with the service for the last couple of days thanks to it being available a few days early through the iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 betas. Out of the 53 games available now I played through a good handful, including Oceanhorn 2, Speed Demons, and Spaceland.
The Best Scares at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights Are Originals
Universal Studios' 2019 Halloween Horror Nights event has kicked off in both the Hollywood or Orlando theme parks, featuring haunted houses and mazes based on original concepts and iconic horror properties like Ghostbusters, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Stranger Things, and Jordan Peele's Us.
If you're wondering when to visit the Universal theme parks for a night of scares, Universal Studios Hollywood is running its HHN on dates from September 13-15, 19-22, 26-29; October 3-6, 10-13, 17-20, 24-27, 31; and November 1-3, 2019. The dates for Universal Studios' Orlando HHN event are September 6-8, 12-15, 18-22, 25-29; October 2-6, 9-13, 17-20, 23-27, 29-31; and November 1-2.
Mutazione and the Joy of Quiet Games
I had quite a few gaming options this past weekend. I could shoot my way through the cel-shaded landscapes of Pandora in Borderlands 3. I could dip in and see if Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s beta might bring me back to the franchise. I could start up a new, incredibly in-depth RPG experience with Greedfall. Instead, I decided to play Mutazione.
Mutazione, from Danish developer Die Gute Fabrik and now out on PC, Mac, PS4, and Apple Arcade, is a much smaller-scale experience than any I mentioned above, focused on a 15-year-old girl named Kai venturing to an island inhabited by people mutated from a meteor that fell decades ago. There’s Tung, who looks like the Hulk but is as calm (usually) as Bruce Banner, and Yoke, the archivist with a penchant for piano playing who happens to look like a human-sized rat in a wheelchair.
Superman: Red Son Cast and First Image Revealed
The voice cast for Superman: Red Son has been revealed along with the first image from the movie.
TV Insider reports that Jason Isaacs will play Superman against Diedrich Bader (Batman: The Brave and the Bold) as Lex Luthor and Paul Williams (Batman: The Animated Series) as Brainiac.
Vanessa Marshall will return to play Wonder Woman after voicing her in the Crisis on Two Earths and Flashpoint Paradox movies as well as the upcoming Harley Quinn series. Batman will be played by Roger Craig Smith, who previously played the character in Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman Unlimited.
What to Expect From PlayStation’s Sept. 24 State of Play
After two relatively closely aired State of Plays (the second a massive improvement over the first), PlayStation has been curiously quiet about its next one...until now. The next State of Play is set for September 24, and armed with the knowledge of what Sony could show off, we’re expecting quite the show.
So, here are our best guesses about what will, and what won’t, be part of the third State of Play.
Will We Get PS5 News at State of Play?
Valve Will Appeal French Courts on Alleged ‘Anti-Consumer’ Ban on Digital Games Resale
French courts have just struck down several user agreement clauses for Valve’s online PC storefront, Steam, including restrictions on the resale of digital games. Valve has announced that it will appeal the court’s decision.
As reported by French publication Numerama, French consumer advocacy group UFC- Que Chosoir announced a legal victory against Steam today. According to the report, the group successfully got the courts to cancel clauses within Steam the group claims were anti-consumer. This includes Valve's policy against reselling digital games purchased from Steam.
“The most significant of those concerns
the one that forbade the resale of
video games," it says in the Numerama report. "That means the products are not related to a particular physical medium (a cartridge or a disk, for example).”
Shia LaBeouf Wrestled Naked With Tom Hardy, Apparently
Shia LaBeouf claims he once wrestled naked with Tom Hardy, because of course he did.
In the latest episode of Hot Ones, a series where the host and interviewee both eat increasingly hot chicken wings while conducting an interview, LaBeouf told this strange story. LaBeouf and Hardy starred in 2012's gangster film Lawless, where apparently the two would frequently wrestle with one another. One instance was simply... less clothed than the others.
Check out LaBeouf and Hardy together in action in this trailer for Lawless below.
Get Six Great Batman Games for Free on the Epic Games Store
Epic Games is giving away six Batman games for free right now on its Epic Games store. Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Collection and Traveller’s Tales’ Lego Batman Trilogy are both up for grabs and should make nice additions to your games library.
Batman: Arkham Collection combines all three Rocksteady Batman Arkham games into a single package. Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight can all be picked up in this collection. Batman: Arkham Origins is not included in this collection, possibly because it was developed by Warner Bros. Montreal instead of Rocksteady. Check out our Batman: Arkham Knight below.
Is Marvel Setting Up Its Next Big Star Wars Epic?
Marvel's flagship Star Wars comic is ending with November's Star Wars #75, but the true finale is coming in December. Marvel has revealed Star Wars: Empire Ascendant #1, a one-shot special that serves as both a series finale and the final bridge between the comic and the events of The Empire Strikes Back.
StarWars.com had the official reveal for Empire Ascendant #1. This issue will feature work from several veterans of Marvel's Star Wars books, including Charles Soule, Greg Pak, Simon Spurrier and Ethan Sacks, along with art from Luke Ross, Roland Boschi and others.
Star Wars: Empire Ascendant #1 cover by Riccardo Federici. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics/Lucasfilm)
Which Video Game Subscription Service Is Right For You?
It seems like every time you turn around there’s another game subscription service popping up, with publishers all competing for your hard-earned dollar to give you an all-you-can-eat approach to their games catalog. From PlayStation Now to Xbox Game Pass and everything in between, we break down each of the biggest game subscriptions available today to help you decide which is best for you.
Note - all prices listed below are in USD, and will vary from country to country.
Apple Arcade
Platforms: iOS, macOS, tvOS
Price: $4.99/month