The anime hails from Japanese animation studio Production IG (Ghost in the Shell). The eight-episode series will be part of the Terminator universe but will center around new characters. It will be the first-ever iteration of the franchise to be animated.
SYNOPSIS
2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity.
Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children.
Episodes: 8 Release Date: August 29, 2024 Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer: Mattson Tomlin (Project Power, The Batman II) Executive Producers: Skydance (David Ellison, Dana Goldberg & Don Granger) Director: Masashi Kudo Animation Studio: Production IG
Today, THQ Nordic releases the port for the post-apocalyptic Wung-Fu Fable RPG Biomutant on Nintendo Switch! In Docked Mode, experience gameplay in 1080p (with Dynamic Resolution) at a stable 30 FPS. Handheld Mode will feature 720p (with Dynamic Resolution) at a stable 30 FPS. Watch the OUT NOW video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yI3774Q3IXo.
Use a unique martial arts-styled combat system to mix melee, shooting, and mutant ability action while exploring and traveling through a beautiful post-apocalyptic open world, filled with unique creatures, friends, and foes. Re-code your genetic structure to change the way you look and play, mix and match parts to create your own weapons, and fight or team up with several tribes.
Biomutant, developed by Experiment 101, ported by Saber Interactive and published by THQ Nordic, is available for Nintendo Switch NOW at a suggested retail price (SRP) of €39.99 / $39.99 / £34.99, which includes the Mercenary-Loadout DLC.
Prepare to wage war! Fulqrum Publishing and Best Way are thrilled to announce the official launch of the highly anticipated real-time strategy game, Men of War II, available for PC today on Steam, Epic Games Store, and other digital retailers for $44.99 USD / £37.99 GBP / €44.99 EUR.
Men of War II delivers an unparalleled World War II RTS experience, meticulously crafted for both seasoned veterans and new commanders alike. Players will command their forces across epic clashes and focused manoeuvres, strategize their campaigns, and experience the chaos and brutality of war like never before.
Featuring an unmatched level of strategic depth, Men of War II offers players a staggering number of meticulously detailed units, each with unique specialisations to fit their strategic visions. It also offers unwavering historical fidelity with authentic environments and battlefields and advanced enemy AI that will try to outsmart and outmanoeuvre players by adapting to their playstyles.
In Men of War II, players will take command of one of three World War II global powers – the Soviets, Americans, or Third Reich – each boasting a unique narrative campaign, allowing them to experience the war from different perspectives and utilise their military expertise in their choices. Two further Historical campaigns introduce pivotal battles with scenarios inspired by historical events, as well as a dynamic Conquest campaign and a skirmish-style experience in Raid mode. Players can also team up with up to four friends and tackle any campaign cooperatively.
Men of War II also boasts extensive multiplayer options, allowing players to compete against each other (PvP) or work together against the AI (PvE). Ranked matchmaking ensures balanced competition across three distinct battle setups: Battalions, Combined Arms, and Classic Mode.
After last year’s public playtests, Best Way took extra time and care to incorporate improvements from community feedback. This dedication means that Men of War II launches with numerous technical improvements, bug fixes, balancing tweaks, and enhanced audio-visual quality – a testament to the team’s commitment to delivering a polished experience to players at launch. Best Way are determined to listen to their community post-launch as well, and will continue to improve Men of War II with their feedback.
The latest update for Starfield is available today, bringing new features and improvements to the overall player experience. Featuring detailed surface maps; new gameplay difficulty options; more flexibility for ship customization; new Display Settings for players on Xbox Series X, and so much more.
Watch this Developer Update from the BGS team to learn more about the May Update:
Updated Surface Maps
Surface maps are improved and replace surface dots with terrain markings. These markings combined with visual points of interest on the map makes navigation and pinpointing locations much easier.
Additionally, new markers have been added in the major cities to show the locations of vendors and each of these markers acts as a fast travel point. Players can immediately warp to these destinations from their Scanner or the surface map.
New Gameplay Options
The new update also gives players more freedom and flexibility to customize their gameplay experience. Players can now adjust vendor credits and carry capacity or access ship cargo from anywhere through the player inventory. For players looking to finetune the difficulty, new survival features are added like adjusting the effects of food and environmental hazards as well as new combat settings to make space combat harder and run-and-gun combat easier, for example. Finally, there’s a new Extreme difficulty above Very Hard.
These settings can be tuned to focus on the style of gameplay players enjoy the most.
New Ship Interior Customization Tools
In Starfield, the player ship is home. The May Update expands interior customization available to ships. There are also new completely empty hab modules to decorate from scratch, allowing players to further customize their ship’s layout with more openings available for doorways.
Xbox Series X Display Settings
Xbox Series X players can now choose between prioritizing visual quality or performance.
For each of these, a Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) Display running at 120hz or above is highly recommended.
Frame Rate Target: Players can now choose between **30, 40, 60 or an Uncapped** frame rate on VRR displays. Players without a VRR display running at least 120hz will still be able to select from 30 or 60. Screen tearing may occur at times when selecting 60 on a non-VRR display.
Prioritize: Players can now prioritize between **Visuals and Performance** while trying to maintain the frame rate target. Performance mode is suggested if choosing a frame rate target of 60 or above. Prioritizing Visuals keeps the highest resolution while maintaining full detail for special effects, lighting, and crowds. Prioritizing Performance lowers internal resolution and detail for special effects, lighting, and crowds. Both modes may adjust internal resolution dynamically when scenes or action get heavier as well.
VSync: Players can now toggle between VSync off or on. Choosing off will separate the game frames from the monitor’s refresh rate and may result in screen tearing. Toggling On will synchronize the frame rate to the monitor’s refresh rate avoiding screen tearing but limiting number of frames.
New Game Plus Trait Respeccing
Replayability is huge in Bethesda Game Studios games, and in Starfield the universe expands even more with New Game Plus. Now, after players enter the Unity, they will have the option to change both their appearance and Traits. This gives players the opportunity to continue refining their characters visually, and experiment with different playstyles after every play-through.
Quality of Life Improvements
In addition to the major features in this May Update, there are also numerous quality-of-life improvements like the ability to toggle the dialogue camera off so players can watch scenes play out from their chosen perspective. There are also new tabs in the Container and Barter menus, making it easier to see where you’re navigating to when quickly cycling through the menus.
Looking Ahead
Major features are on the horizon, including a land vehicle for speedier planetary exploration, official mod support for Starfield, and the massive Shattered Space expansion. Stay tuned in the coming months for more news on these!
For more information on the May Update, visit bethesda.net
Phantom Fury, a road movie-inspired first-person shooter starring Ion Fury’s Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison from publisher 3D Realms and developed by Slipgate Ironworks, is heading to PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on May 30, 2024. Keys will be available soon, and I would love to send you a key for any coverage you might have planned!
Dive in guns blazing as Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison in this brand new, standalone adventure. Following the events of Ion Fury, set forth on a cross-country adventure to hunt down a lethal artifact. Shuffle through an arsenal of over 20 weapons, or use Shelly’s new bionic arm to unleash a bulletstorm onto incoming enemies. Set the world ablaze in this non-stop action, retro-inspired boomer shooter!
Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes the franchise to 16th century Japan when it launches on November 15 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, Macs with Apple silicon via the Mac App Store, PC through the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store, and as part of a Ubisoft+ Premium subscription. Players will step into the roles of a Japanese shinobi, Naoe, and – in a series first – a real-life historical samurai, Yasuke.
Ubisoft Quebec’s focus throughout the development of Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been to fulfill two iconic player fantasies – shinobi and samurai – and ensure that its late-Sengoku period setting, known for its political tumult, warfare, and dramatic social reformation, serves as an authentic backdrop for the pair. This means both protagonists offer vastly different gameplay experiences, and overlapping perspectives on a transformative moment in Japanese history.
The Late Sengoku Period
The development team was drawn to the late Sengoku period, also known as the Azuchi-Momoyama era, because it was full of foundational, pivotal events: the late 16th century saw three of Japan’s most important and well-known figures successfully take power during an extensive Warring States Period. Social reforms reshaped and reorganized the land, farmers and religious leagues rose up to oppose powerful military clan warlords, and an artistic renaissance began that would later bloom during the Edo period. It was a dramatic era, full of contrast, and the threat of the Portuguese – who had reached Japan a few decades before – loomed large.
Ubisoft Quebec went to great lengths consulting source documentation and building a network of expert historians, professors, and cultural consultants to help the team build a world as authentically as possible, from castle construction principles to tea ceremonies to tatami alignment. The team made trips to Japan to help them properly grasp the landscape and the culture, and more importantly, connect with Ubisoft’s Tokyo and Osaka teams, who helped with the creation of the game.
Yasuke: A Real-Life Samurai
The decision to include a playable, real-life historical figure of this era in Assassins’ Creed Shadows was two-fold: Ubisoft Quebec wanted to include a Samurai, and Yasuke’s story was open-ended enough to allow for creativity; there are still plenty of questions and speculation surrounding him. The fascinating facts, though, were undisputable: of African origin, he arrived in Japan enslaved by the Portuguese; he impressed with size, strength, and wits; he served under the Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga. There must have been something exceptional about Yasuke to succeed in the service of a personality like Nobunaga’s, the team explains, and the goal has been to expound on this in Assassin’s Creed Shadows through his curiosity, openness, respect for values and tradition, valor, warmth, and charisma.
He also offers a unique perspective on the period: players can discover Japan alongside him. On one hand, he serves as a warning for the colonizing threat that the Portuguese present, and on the other, he adapted and thrived in Japan, and can be viewed as an example of the meritocratic structure established under Nobunaga. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, his historical story is established, and then developed and expanded from that point (the team won’t spoil how he’s linked to Assassin’s Creed’s lore; players will have to play the game to find out).
Naoe: The Blade of the People
While Naoe and Yasuke play very differently – Naoe is a shinobi who uses stealth, parkour, and gadgets, whereas Yasuke is combat-oriented and armored – the pair’s personalities ultimately complement each other to form a unique dynamic throughout Shadows.
At Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ start, Naoe is a 17-year-old from Iga, and the daughter of one of the era’s most iconic shinobi, Fujibayashi Nagato, who – despite a promise to keep her safe – is forced to train her to be his equal in battle. The team describes Naoe as ‘determined but compassionate,’ capable of taking down any enemy while showing compassion to victims of war and corruption. With her home province of Iga squarely in the path of Nobunaga’s conquest, she sees first-hand the destruction that war can bring, and vows to use her skills to help her people.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ dual protagonists are ultimately brought together by Nobunaga, whose goal of unifying Japan takes his army – and Yasuke – to the province of Iga for the Second Tenshō Iga War. The Igan resistance, though greatly overpowered by Nobunaga’s army, is courageously led by Naoe’s father. The two protagonists find each other through Nobunaga, although, for obvious reasons, they don’t exactly get off to a great start. The pair provide the player with opposing perspectives on Nobunaga and the means he used to achieve his goal of unification, and their overlapping perspectives throughout Shadows ultimately allow for a more nuanced look at the late Sengoku period.
The difference in their social stature is reflected in the world itself, which will respond differently to the player depending on who they are playing as. Naoe, for example, can present herself as a peasant and garner appropriate reactions; that is, if she wants to be seen at all. Yasuke, on the other hand, comes from a different land, but his status as a samurai garners respect from others, so people will bow to him on the streets. Characters can have different expectations of the pair, and in some cases, will prefer to deal with only one or the other.
Naoe and Yasuke’s disparate personalities also lead them to have different relationships and rapports with other characters, and they don’t always feel the same way about people, nor do people always feel the same way about them. Romantically, they will also attract and be attracted to different types of people. Through the pair, players will get to experience a multitude of relationships.
Looking Ahead to Launch
Right now, Ubisoft Quebec is in the process of iteration and review, spending a great deal of time ensuring the details are just right. Assassin’s Creed Shadows introduces a number of innovations to the series – including changing seasons and the use of light and shadow, both of which factor into its gameplay – but more than that, it’s about the journey through Japan. The game world is dynamic and highly detailed, built with the goal of letting players get lost within it – and as both Naoe and Yasuke, players will have new, unique ways to connect with the beauty that surrounds them.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes the franchise to 16th century Japan when it launches on November 15 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, Macs with Apple silicon via the Mac App Store, PC through the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store. Play the Ultimate Edition 3 days early as part of the Ubisoft+ Premium subscription which includes the season pass, bonus digital content, and the pre-order bonus quest “Thrown to the dogs”.
Hasbro, a leading toy and game company, today announced TRANSFORMERS ‘80s Week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the beloved franchise. The week-long celebration features new product reveals, pre-orders and retro content allowing new generations to discover the decade where it all began. Check out TRANSFORMERS’ social channels for a series of ‘80s-themed stop motion videos dropping each day this week.
All this week and during the Hasbro Pulse Fanstream today at 11 AM ET onYouTube, the TRANSFORMERS team is unveiling new products that fans can add to their collections, including the following:
The TRANSFORMERS Studios Series product line brings the epic action of the TRANSFORMERS movies from the big screen into fan collections around the world. The latest additions include action figures based on BUMBLEBEE,SKYWARP, STEELJAW,SPRINGER and DECEPTICON SOLDIER. Additionally, the newly revealed TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS COMIC EDITION DECEPTICON STRAXUS action figure celebrates the brand’s 40th anniversary since TRANSFORMERS robots made their comic debut in 1984.
Rooted in action and adventure, the Hot Wheels® TRANSFORMERS line unites the fan bases of Hot Wheels and TRANSFORMERS with stunning launches for car, Autobot and Decepticon lovers to enjoy. The legendary brands are kicking off by launching a never-before-seen collector item: Hot Wheels® TRANSFORMERS™ Optimus Prime. The brand-new vehicle authentically recreates a 1:64 scale version of the Autobot leader in metal-on-metal material. This converting collector piece comes with full graphics on top of the red and blue Spectraflame™ paint and Real Riders® custom wheels. Hot Wheels® TRANSFORMERS™ Optimus Prime will be available on May 21 at 9AM PT exclusively atMattel Creations.
Later this summer, the line will evolve to include fan-favorite TRANSFORMERS characters across multiple Hot Wheels lines, including Bumblebee in the Hot Wheels Basic Singles Assortment, a Hot Wheels Silver Series collection of Autobots and Decepticons, and more characters like Megatron and Starscream in Hot Wheels Skate.
Hasbro Presents Transformers: Music from the Original Animated Series – Fans can jam out to music from 1984’s The Transformers classic animated series (seasons 1-3). Originally released in 2019 with over 45 minutes of music, this reissue album includes bonus tracks and a mixture of remastered orchestral and ‘80s inspired synth tracks from the original tapes by composer Rob Walsh. The vinyl album is available for preorder now, and a first-ever digital release of the album will be offered later this year. The album will launch in July with pre-orders coming soon to Hasbro Pulse.
Funko’s TRANSFORMERS 40th Anniversary Pop! figures are here! Inspired by the beloved “Generation 1” era of the franchise, fans can add iconic TRANSFORMERS characters to their collection such as Optimus Prime, Megatron, Blaster, Astrotrain and Laserbeak.
By purchasing Laserbeak, there is a 1-in-6 chance to obtain the Pop! Buzzsaw chase figure. Chase variants are shipped at random and not guaranteed with purchase. TRANSFORMERS 40th Anniversary Pop! figures will be available for pre-order on Funko.com and participating retailers beginning May 15th. Figures to launch in July 2024.
TRANSFORMERS teams up with BEYBLADE for their first-ever collab tops, featuring Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal, Starscream and Megatron in multi-pack sets for the all-new, fourth generation BEYBLADE X series. The BEYBLADE X TRANSFORMERS tops will be available for a limited pre-order exclusively on Amazon Tuesday, May 14 @1pm EST.
Starting May 15, fans are heading to theaters to experience the TILL ALL ARE ONE: TRANSFORMERS 40th ANNIVERSARY EVENT.This special cinema experience will showcase episodes from the classic 1984 animated series “THE TRANSFORMERS” and an exclusive behind-the-scenes table read featuring some of the TRANSFORMERS original voice-over talent, including Peter Cullen (original voice of Optimus Prime) and Frank Welker (original voice of Megatron). A sneak peek of the new season of the original animated kids’ series TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK will be shown as well. Tickets and participating theater locations are available at:Transformers40thCinemaEvent.com.
For the latest information on the TRANSFORMERS , including toys and entertainment, follow @TRANSFORMERSOfficial onInstagram, @TransformersOfficial onThreads, @TRANSFORMERS onFacebook and @TRANSFORMERSOfficial onTikTok.
Event Horizon, the Polish developer behind tactical RPGs Tower of Time, are launching the Director’s Cut of their latest release, Dark Envoy, a real-time strategy RPG with and a rich cast of recruitable companions to journey with. Dark Envoy: Director’s Cut reworks narration and cutscenes to reflect the moral depth that players found in the world around them. New narration establishes the weight of the war between the opposed forces of arcanum to complement the high-stakes tactical combat present in the original. Dark Envoy: Director’s Cut is out now on Steam for $27.99 USD, and available for 40% off as part of Steam’s Daily Deal.
After six months on Steam, and following the huge renewal of interest in isometric RPGs, Event Horizon has incorporated detailed community feedback on skills, characters, narrative, and complex moral dichotomies to make Dark Envoy: Director’s Cut the tactical, story-driven RPG players envision from the team behind Tower of Time. With immense gratitude from Event Horizon, the players of Dark Envoy showed up in-force to support the title’s development.
In Dark Envoy, players navigate real-time combat with pause and tactical slow-motion. Utilize strong battlefield placement and diverse skills across four classes and 16 subclasses to turn environmental hazards to your cause, dominate groups of monsters and soldiers, and best bosses in high-stakes battles. Between onslaughts, hunt for relics across sprawling temples and caverns, while you walk a razor-thin line between two sides of a vicious war.
Today Cyan Worlds is pleased to reveal that Riven, the classic narrative-driven puzzle game that is being updated for modern platforms, will initially launch on the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 VR platforms, as well as Windows (VR and flatscreen) and Mac. Already announced to be coming to virtual reality, Cyan Worlds is thrilled to confirm that Riven will be coming to the Meta Quest platform.
Cyan’s from-the-ground-up remake of Myst—launched first on the Meta Quest platform in 2020—enabled players to experience the game’s iconic Ages like never before. In Riven’s first update since 1997, players will explore the game with the same sense of immersion and freedom that comes from actually being in this world—especially on Meta Quest 3, where Riven will take advantage of the headset’s increased power and higher resolution to deliver a truly spectacular experience.
“One of the most astounding experiences for me is being fully immersed in Riven in VR with no strings attached on Meta Quest 3,” stated Cyan Worlds co-founder Rand Miller. “It’s mind-blowing to have jumped from the original static images to wrapping myself in Riven.”
Delving further into the lore that Cyan’s first game Myst only hinted at, Riven tightly integrates its puzzles into a sprawling and decaying world that plunges players into a conflict between the world’s villainous ruler and those rebelling against him. While Myst has been remade several times, the visuals, cinematics, and overall scope have made Riven difficult to adapt. Bringing the remake to Unreal Engine 5 and leveraging the capabilities of the Meta Quest system will allow both old and new fans to experience the iconic 3D world like never before.
From the creator of the groundbreaking Arctis Nova line of headsets, SteelSeries, the original esports brand that fuses gaming and culture and worldwide leader in gaming and esports peripherals, today expands the Arctics Nova family with the introduction of the Arctis Nova 5 series headsets and Nova 5 Companion App.
For the newest member of the award-winning Arctis Nova line of headsets, the design and engineering teams set out to craft something new with three innovative goals in mind; create better audio for the games people play on Xbox and PlayStation; develop a wireless gaming headset that’s both premium and accessible; and allow gamers to play longer and harder. The result is the Arctis Nova 5, and the Nova 5 Companion App, the first of its kind app to give players access to over 100 audio presets at their fingertips, Quick Switch Wireless freedom with high-speed 2.4GHz or Bluetooth 5.3 at the tap of a button, an extraordinary 60+ Hour Battery Life, and a $129.99 price point. That’s “affordable luxury” at its best.
“Innovation is key, and we use it to unlock the power of imagination and push boundaries to provide gamers with premium audio experiences,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, SteelSeries CEO. “The introduction of the Arctis Nova 5 and Companion App, with over 100 audio presets, is literally ‘game-changing’ and provides users with an epic audio advantage for console gaming.”
Sound matters. When it comes to providing gamers with a competitive edge, SteelSeries has been at the forefront of creating industry-defining gaming gear and a driving force behind esports for over two decades.
As gaming continues to grow in popularity, SteelSeries has been laser-focused on the gamer experience and leading the way in defining a gaming lifestyle. As of January 2024, there are over 3.4B gamers worldwide, which includes 887M PC, 334M PlayStation, 247M Nintendo, 227M Xbox, and 2.8B mobile gamers, and they typically play games across multiple platforms.
The Arctis Nova 5 is perfectly equipped for console gaming on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and other platforms.
The Nova 5 Companion App – Introducing a revolutionary app that features 100+ game-specific audio presets that have been meticulously crafted and custom-tailored to each game by audio engineers, esports Pros, and game developers. Gamers can change their audio presets on the fly in real-time and without leaving the game, providing a distinct competitive advantage. Hear what others don’t with precisely honed audio profiles for top games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, Minecraft, and more.
Neodymium Magnetic Drivers – Gamers can heareverything with an ultra-detailed soundscape of crystal-clear highs, pinpoint mids, and deep bass. The custom-designed Neodymium Magnetic Drivers are crafted from a rare-earth metal to ensure the perfect audio experience, whatever game or track they are playing.
Quick-Switch Wireless – Easily take calls while gaming, switching from high-speed 2.4GHz to Bluetooth 5.3 with a tap of a button. Mobile connections remain on standby when players are back in the action, so they can receive calls. Keep Fortnite EQs on the 2.4GHz bandwidth without affecting specific media profiles for Bluetooth audio.
Cross-Platform Gaming – A compact USB-C dongle allows gamers to easily swap between all systems, supporting Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC, Meta Quest, handhelds, as well as phones and tablets that support USB-C.
ClearCast 2.X Mic – 2X the bandwidth, 2X the clarity. SteelSeries’ ClearCast microphone features a new high-bandwidth chipset supporting 32KHz/16Bit audio to keep comms crystal clean and clear. Gamers can supercharge vocals even further with Sonar AI-Powered Noise Cancellation on PC for the ultimate two-way noise reduction on comms. A unique design seamlessly blends the mic into the earcup when fully retracted for on-the-go.
60+ Hours of Wireless Gaming – A 60-hour battery life equates to a full charge lasting 8 hours each day for 7 days in a row. A USB-C fast charging delivers another 6 hours of charge in only 15 minutes.
Sonar Audio Software Suite – the first pro-grade parametric EQ designed for gamers. Specifically designed to turbocharge any headset for gaming and provide a limitless ability to control sound across games, team chat, and the microphone, Sonar allows gamers to adjust every individual frequency and hear the sounds that matter the most.
The Arctis Nova 5 Series is available at SteelSeries.com and select retailers around the world for the following MSRP:
Arctis Nova 5/5X/5P Wireless – NA $129.99 | EMEA €139.99 | APAC $139.99