Game of the Year Watch Continues
Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game talk show. It's time to check in with Game of the Year Watch, which includes God of War, Monster Hunter World, and more. We'll also be discussing Fallout 76 and The Division 2. Watch the video above or download the podcast below.
Download Game Scoop! Episode 489
Or subscribe in iTunes and never miss an episode.
Subscribe to the Game Scoop! YouTube channel and never miss a video.
How Can the Venom Movie Work Without Spider-Man?
Is there room for a third shared Marvel Universe on the big screen? Sony seems to think so. This fall's Venom movie will kick off a new series of movies spotlighting anti-heroes and villains of the Spider-Man franchise, one that may not be tied to the MCU and features little or no involvement from Spider-Man himself.
Can Sony actually make a Venom movie work without Spider-Man? Isn't Eddie Brock's own origin story tied directly to Peter Parker? A Spider-Man-less Venom movie isn't necessarily ideal, but there's no reason Sony can't pull it off. Here are some examples of the problems this approach creates and how Sony can work around them.
Venom's Origin Story
Finally, Some Good News: Planters Cheez Balls Are Back
Now that the world is on fire and the barbarians are at the gate, Planters had the audacity to come with help, bringing back its discontinued, but beloved, cheese-flavored puff ball snacks.
If you've had cheese balls from competitors, perhaps in a novelty plastic barrel, you might not understand what all the fuss is about. But those of us whose lips have been lucky enough to let the Cheez Balls pass know there is no substitute for the genuine flavor of Planters Cheez Balls.
Quietly discontinued in 2006, Planters heeded the call for a return, and you can order your very own foil-and-cardboard canister from the Amazon (UPDATE: currently unavailable). The iconic design is largely unchanged from when the cans were commonplace in the 1980s and 1990s at church picnics, grandma's pantry, and next to your dad's recliner.
Sons of Anarchy Spin-Off and New It’s Always Sunny Get Premiere Dates
FX has announced the premiere dates for the thirteenth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the Sons of Anarchy spinoff, Mayans M.C.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia returns on September 5 at 10 pm ET/PT on FXX. The core group of Mac (Rob McElhenney), Charlie (Charlie Day), Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Frank (Danny DeVito) are all coming back. However, Dennis (Glenn Howerton) is out of the picture as he focuses on being a father in North Dakota.
Mayans M.C will premiere on September 4 at 10 pm ET/PT on FX. The series is set in a post-Jax Teller world and focuses on Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo).
Blizzard Exploring Big Changes to Sombra’s Abilities
Big changes could be on the way for stealthy Overwatch character Sombra. Posting on the official Overwatch forums yesterday, Principal Designer Geoff Goodman detailed some Sombra changes Blizzard is currently testing – including infinite invisibility.
"These changes started by seeing how far we could push the duration of her Stealth and Translocator abilities," wrote Goodman. "As we pushed them out, it allowed her to play more and more as
scout/infiltrator for your team and also allowed her more time to pick and choose when and where she popped out to ambush her enemies.
"So now she has infinite duration on both Stealth and Translocator."
Sombra's Stealth ability allows her to become invisible, but it currently restricts her to up to five seconds of invisibility at a time followed by a cooldown of six seconds. The Translocator, a projectile Sombra can toss and teleport back to later, has an active timer of its own, lasting 20 seconds before being put into a four-second cooldown before another one can be tossed.
Amy Hennig Confirms She Left EA in January
Amy Hennig, known for her work on the Uncharted series, has officially confirmed that she is no longer with EA and that she has begun building an independent studio.
This news comes from Eurogamer, who interviewed Hennig at the Gamelab conference in Barcelona. Hennig confirmed that she left EA back in January, though she hasn't had the chance to officially announce her departure.
"I have not worked at EA since January, technically, legally," said Hennig. "I get along with all those people, I consider even the guys on the exec team friends. I never got the chance to announce that I'm not at EA so I need to just pull off that band-aid at some point - but also had nothing to announce. It makes it sound like I just went home! But I'm doing all this stuff, working on all kinds of things."
Xbox Games With Gold for July 2018 Announced
The lineup of games available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers in July 2018 has been revealed.
Per Xbox Wire, the following titles will be available to download for Xbox Live Gold members next month:
- Assault Android Cactus - July 1-31 (Xbox One)
- Death Squared - July 16-August 15 (Xbox One)
- Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown - July 1-15 (Xbox 360, Xbox One)
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction - July 16-31 (Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Assault Android Cactus is a twin-stick shooter first released in 2015. Players assume the role of an android cop as you blast a variety of enemies while protecting your spaceship. The game features a storyline and mulitplayer. We scored Assault Android Cactus an 8.8.
Incredibles 2 Crosses $500 Million at Worldwide Box Office
Incredibles 2 continues to prove to be a major box office success for Disney and Pixar.
Per Box Office Mojo, the animated sequel has now surpassed $500 million worldwide, earning an estimated $508 million. It's now the third highest-grossing film domestically of the year with $373 million earned, only trailing behind Avengers: Infinity War ($670 million) and Black Panther ($699 million).
Incredibles 2 has also now passed Solo: A Star Wars Story's total gross in just two weeks. The standalone Star Wars film only managed to make an estimated $355 million worldwide since it opened in theaters back in late May, according to Box Office Mojo.
Halo TV Series Finally Coming to Showtime in 2019
Halo is finally coming to TV. Showtime has announced a series pickup for a live-action adaptation of the epic Xbox game franchise (under the working title of "Halo"), with Kyle Killen (Awake) serving as executive producer, writer, and showrunner. Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt will helm multiple episodes and also executive produce.
The scripted drama will feature 10 hour-long episodes in its first season, and is expected to begin production in early 2019. According to Showtime, the adaptation of Halo "will take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001, dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. Halo will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future."
State of Decay 2 Gets Independence Pack DLC
State of Decay 2 is celebrating a new player milestone with a new DLC pack, available now for players on PC and Xbox One.
Microsoft revealed today that, after surpassing three million players, Undead Labs has released the Independence Pack DLC, which costs $4.99 includes new weapons, vehicles, supplies, and fireworks.
The pack is available now on Xbox One and PC and also includes zombies dressed up in American Revolution garb, allowing for what Microsoft describes as "history that you can blow up...with fireworks." The full content includes: