The Marvel Cinematic Universe's next phase is quickly taking shape, thanks to news announced at Marvel Studios' panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. The first movie of Phase 4 is the Eternals, and while Marvel hasn't revealed the second, we now know the third: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige made the announcement on stage, confirming some Shang-Chi rumors that have been floating around for a while. He also gave some details about who would be making the movie. Simu Liu (Fresh Off The Boat) will play Shang-Chi, while Tony Leung will play the Mandarin, and Destin Daniel Cretton is directing. Awkwafina also has a role in the movie, although Feige didn't elaborate on what that might be.The movie is set to release on February 12, 2021.The Mandarin is a villain you might recognize from the MCU of the past--he appeared as the antagonist in Iron Man 3, played by Ben Kingsley. As it turned out, that Mandarin was a red herring, distracting Tony Stark and the rest of the world from the movie's real villain, Aldrich Killian. According to Feige, the villain of Shang-Chi is the "real" Mandarin, and he isn't happy about being impersonated.The Ten Rings have also been a part of the MCU before now. That's the name of the terrorist organization that kidnapped Tony Stark back in the first Iron Man movie. Tony struck a blow against the group when he escaped captivity in his first cobbled-together Iron Man suit, but clearly, the organization is still a big deal in the MCU.There's plenty more news coming out of the Marvel panel, so stay tuned to our Comic-Con hub for our full coverage of everything you need to know.Info from Gamespot.com

During Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con 2019 panel, more details were revealed for the upcoming Falcon & Winter Soldier series. First teased via leaks in December 2018, the show was officially confirmed for Disney+ in April 2019. During its SDCC panel, Marvel shared new details.Falcon & Winter Soldier follows the partnered heroics of Steve Rogers' two closest allies: Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson. During Marvel's Comic-Con panel, the studio confirmed that the show will be set after the events of Avengers: Endgame and star Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. The two stars were present for the panel, and Mackie walked onto stage holding the iconic Captain America shield--causing the crowd to go absolutely nuts."I'd like to explore The Falcon as a character--what kind of man is this man?" Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky, joked."With Winter Soldier, I want to see what makes him tick--what ticks him off. How much [he can take before he loses it]," Mackie joked in response. "But seriously, we're living our dream here...So when we go to work, we have a really good time."Toward the end of the Falcon & Winter Soldier segment of the Marvel panel, Daniel Brühl, who played Baron Zemo in Captain America: Civil War, "hijacked" the proceedings with a video message featuring the Winter Soldier trigger words. "Gentlemen, I'll be seeing you both very soon," he said. Zemo will be the big bad of the show.Stan and Mackie first worked together and established a loose rapport in Captain America: Civil War before reuniting in the fight against Thanos in both Infinity War and Endgame. At the end of Endgame, Steve Rogers decided to retire from the hero life and pass on his shield, as well as the mantle of Captain America, to Sam.Both Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan return to star as Falcon/Captain America and Winter Soldier respectively. They'll be joined by a few other familiar faces from the MCU, including Brühl as Zemo and Emily VanCamp as Captain America: The Winter Soldier's Sharon Carter. The show is being helmed by House of Cards director Kari Skogland and penned by Empire writer Malcolm Spellman. Six episodes have been ordered for the series.Disney+ is scheduled to launch on November 12. The service requires a monthly subscription fee of $7 or an annual one of $70. Three more Marvel-related series have been ordered for the service as well: one for Loki, one for Vision and Scarlet Witch, and one for Hawkeye (the Kate Bishop version, not Clint Barton).Info from Gamespot.com

While the DC movie universe is absent from this year's San Diego Comic-Con, the studio's TV output features extensively. The CW's range of DC shows, known as the Arrow-verse, held a panel on Saturday, July 20, and gave fans a taste of what to expect from some of its upcoming shows.Supergirl returns for its fifth season in October. The biggest change this season is Kara's suit, which has been redesigned. Fans were given a proper look at the new-look Kryptonian supersuit at the panel--check it out below:There were two new cast members also introduced at the Supergirl panel. Julie Gonzalo will play Andrea Rojas--aka Acrata--a DC character first introduced in comic books in 2000. She is described as a business woman with "a mystical secret," and is set to appear in the Supergirl Season 5 premiere on October 6. The other new addition to the show is "hardened reporter" William Dey, who is an original character and will be played by Game of Thrones' Staz Nair.The FlashThe panel also revealed some new characters for two other Arrow-verse shows. The evil Bloodwork will make his TV debut in The Flash, played by former Heroes star Sendhil Ramamurthy. Bloodwork--aka Ramsey Russo--was first introduced in Flash comics in 2017, and is a terrifying adversary who gains his powers from his infected blood. The Flash Season 6 premieres on October 8.ArrowThe other new addition to the Arrow-verse will be in the show that gave the series its name. Arrow reaches its eighth and final season on October 15, and Charlie Barnett will join as a season regular playing John Diggle Jr. Barnett is best known for co-starring in this year's Netflix hit Russian Doll, and his character of Diggle Jr. is the villainous leader of the Deathstroke gang.The Arrow-verse panel isn't the only DC panel taking place today. At 7 PM PT fans will be able to find out what's upcoming on DC Universe. And although there won't be any news about the DC cinematic universe this weekend, the campaign for the studio to release the rumored "Snyder cut" of Justice League continues, with one eager fan hiring a plane to fly a banner over the convention. Check out all the other San Diego Comic-Con news on GameSpot here.Info from Gamespot.com

During Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con 2019 panel, the company announced additional details concerning its upcoming Vision & Scarlet Witch series, entitled WandaVision. During its SDCC panel, Marvel confirmed that the series will launch in Spring 2021. A logo was shown and features retro TV, neon cursive font and, Marvel Studios president Feige said, "If you thought that logo was strange, wait until you see this show."The Vision and Scarlet Witch show takes place after Endgame and will feature Monica Rambeau as an adult. The character will be played by Teyonah Parris. "I'm so excited to be here, I'm shaking," she said. "This is a dream to be a Marvel superhero--Monica Rambeau?!"Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany also appeared on stage to discuss the show. "We're gonna have a lot of fun. It's gonna get weird. We're gonna go deep. We're gonna have a lot of surprises and we will finally understand Wanda Maximoff as the Scarlet Witch," said Olsen.Bettany, meanwhile, seemed a bit out of sorts. "I've never been this confused in front of this many people in my whole life but I hope you love it," he said.Like the other Disney+ shows for Loki, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop, not Clint Barton), and Falcon & Winter Soldier, Vision & Scarlet Witch takes place in the MCU and sees the movie's stars reprise their roles as their respective characters. In Vision & Scarlet Witch's case, that means Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen.Given Vision's destruction in Avengers Infinity War, it stands to reason that Vision & Scarlet Witch acts as a prequel to the conclusion of the MCU's third phase of movies, most likely taking place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Infinity War. During this period of time, Vision and Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, struck up a romantic relationship.Vision & Scarlet Witch is being penned by Jac Schaeffer, who's also the writer assigned to the upcoming Black Widow movie--another untold MCU prequel story. Schaeffer previously co-wrote the script for Olaf's Frozen Adventure, an animated short that takes place in the world of Frozen.Info from Gamespot.com

One of the weirdest moments in Avengers: Endgame came when, during the team's trip to various points in the past, Loki absconded with the Tesseract--AKA the Space Stone--and then nobody in the movie ever mentioned it again. Giving a dude like Loki the ability to teleport around the universe didn't seem like a great idea, but apparently the great minds at Disney disagreed--because at San Diego Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con 2019 panel, MCU boss Kevin Feige revealed that it was all part of the plan.During the SDCC panel, Marvel shared new details about the Loki show coming to Disney+, including its release window: Spring 2021. And they confirmed that Loki's bizarre moment in Endgame was indeed the setup for the show, as many fans speculated."Didn't I see Loki die in Infinity War?" Feige asked during the panel. "You did, but what else did you see in Endgame?" That prompted the clip in question from Endgame to play for the audience in Hall H, confirming the theory that's been discussed since Endgame's April release."Where did Loki go? What happened to Loki? This series will answer that," Feige continued.Tom Hiddleston--Loki himself--then emerged onstage, eliciting huge cheers and chants of "Loki! Loki! Loki!" from the crowd."The last time I was standing onstage with this gentleman, I was asking him to kneel," Hiddleston laughed, referring to the 2013 panel featuring Thor: The Dark World. "But seriously, this whole thing wouldn't be happening without all of you," he continued, addressing the fans.Hiddleston also confirmed that the version of Loki we'll follow in the Disney+ show is the version from the first Avengers movie--not the one who reconciled with his brother Thor and eventually became not such a bad guy throughout the events of all the movies that happened between then and now, including Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War."You guys saw Avengers, right? So this Loki is that guy," Hiddleston explained. "And the last thing that happened to him is he got Hulk smashed."Disney+ is scheduled to launch on November 12. The service requires a monthly subscription fee of $7 or an annual one of $70. Three more Marvel-related series have been ordered for the service as well: one for Falcon and Winter Soldier, one for Vision and Scarlet Witch, and one for Hawkeye (the Kate Bishop version, not Clint Barton).Info from Gamespot.com

Doctor Strange saw the future 14 million times in Avengers: Infinity War, so we're pretty sure he must have known he's set to star in another solo movie as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Four of films. The movie--Doctor Strange 2: In The Multiverse of Madness--is set to release on May 7, 2021.Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige officially confirmed the film on stage at the Marvel panel at San Diego Comic Con 2019, referencing the last MCU film Spider-Man: Far From Home by stating: "Just because (Quentin) Beck made up lies about the multiverse doesn't mean it isn't real."Director Scott Derrickson is back at the helm for the Doctor Strange sequel, and while on stage at Comic-Con, he said the new film would lean more into the horror genre. "What excites me about Doctor Strange is from the comics--he doesn't fight villains from this Earth, he fights everything from everywhere. If I was gonna do a sequel we're gonna dip into the gothic and the horror -- we're gonna make the first scary MCU film," he said.Doctor Strange himself--actor Benedict Cumberbatch--was also in attendance, and was serenaded by the crowd singing Happy Birthday when he first appeared on stage (apparently it was his birthday the previous day). "We're going to do some of the things we had in the first film with that twist of horror. He'll be facing unexpected things--he won't know what's coming at him. We're going back to trying to destroy him a bit," he said.And in perhaps one of the most exciting news for Doctor Strange 2, it was confirmed the Scarlet Witch herself--Wanda Maximoff (as played by Elizabeth Olsen)--will also be in the film. Kevin Feige confirmed the events in the upcoming Disney+ show WandaVision will directly link to Doctor Strange 2.DEVELOPING Info from Gamespot.com

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to get a bit weirder in 2021. That's when Marvel Studios will launch What If...?, an animated adaptation of its series of comics by the same name. Marvel Studios made the announcement about the series at its San Diego Comic-Con panel in Hall H, along with dropping some information about casting for the series.The stories spin out what-if scenarios about Marvel heroes and villains that can take some strange twists and turns. With the establishment of a multiverse in Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios now has infinite stories to play with where different versions of its characters experience different stories than what we see in the main MCU movies. "With this, all of those set-in-stone MCU experiences you've seen before, you're going to see different versions of them," Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said.Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) will star in the series as The Watcher, a character who serves as the What If...? series narrator. "The Watcher is a being, a non-earthly being, who observes all things, he's watching over the multiverse, and he occasionally may or may not intervene with the earthlings," Wright explained.Feige also said many MCU actors would reprise their roles, providing their voices for the series as it details tales about how the history of the MCU could have gone differently. The series is set to release in Summer 2021.There's plenty more news coming out of the Marvel panel, so stay tuned to our Comic-Con hub for our full coverage of everything you need to know.Info from Gamespot.com

At Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con panel Hawkeye took center stage and new details were confirmed about the Avenger's crack-shot archer having his own show. During the Marvel panel, a logo was shown and it was reminiscent of the logo from Matt Fraction's run on the comic series.Kate Bishop, another character to take the mantle of Hawkeye in the Marvel universe, will be featured in the show. She was described by Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner as "the best version of Hawkeye."He continued: "What I get to do is shepherd a new character to be ultimately a better version of me. I get to teach someone else how to be a superhero without superpowers--which is an amazing thing because that means everyone can be a dang superhero, right?"Additionally, Marvel Studios president Kevin Fiege said the show will also explore Clint Barton's time as Ronin more too. This was all part of Marvel's broader announcement of Phase 4 movies and shows.Info from Gamespot.com

As if the avalanche of MCU Phase Four films and Disney+ show news from Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic Con panel wasn't enough already, the world's biggest purveyor of superhero film and TV fare decided to save one of the their biggest announcements for last: Blade, the half vampire-half human last seen being portrayed by Wesley Snipes, is being rebooted for the big screen.And while Wesley Snipes was amazing in the three Blade films already made in the early 2000s, the new Blade has serious acting chops: two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will be our new vampire hunter.DEVELOPING Info from Gamespot.com

The Thor movies have become one of the most beloved parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks in large part to the Taika Waititi-directed Thor: Ragnarok, which injected the series with some much-needed quirk and humor, while still capturing the essence of the god of thunder. The series seems perched to continue in that vein, judging by the new details revealed at Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con 2019 panel.During the Marvel panel, the studio confirmed Thor 4's full, official title: Thor: Love and Thunder. Disney also confirmed Thor: Love and Thunder's release date: November 5, 2021. And lastly, the panel confirmed that Natalie Portman's character Jane Foster, last seen in any significant capacity in Thor: The Dark World, will return in this movie.During the SDCC 2019 panel, Thor 4 director Taika Waititi took the stage with stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who will both return to their respective roles as Thor and Valkyrie in the upcoming film."There's nothing more powerful in the world than love and thunder," Waititi said, giving the newly revealed title a little bit of context.In addition, the panel's big surprise came when Natalie Portman arrived onstage, taking hold of the hammer Mjolnir as she emerged."This feels pretty good," the actress laughed. "I've always had a little hammer envy."During the panel, Waititi specifically brought up Jason Aaron's "Jane Thor" run of the comics, in which the character Jane Foster took up the mantle of the god of thunder--giving Portman fans something to look forward to in Love and Thunder."When we were shooting Ragnarok, I was reading Jason Aaron's Mighty Thor, and it introduces female Thor [Jane Foster]," the director said. "So, there's only one person who can do that."What about Thor himself? Hemsworth didn't have much to share, although he did make some references back to Thor's Lebowski-like behavior in Avengers: Endgame."He's headed to 7/11, he got a Netflix subscription," Hemsworth laughed. "But I think Taika's got something planned.""Who knows? Only me because only I have read the script!" Waititi replied.As for Valkyrie, who Thor named King of Asgard during Endgame's conclusion, Thompson shared some details. "As new king, she needs to find her queen," the actress said of Valkyrie's role in Love and Thunder. "She has some ideas. She'll keep you posted." Finally, Waititi didn't forget about Thor: Ragnarok's other most important additions to the MCU: Korg and Miek."Will we see Korg and Miek again?" Waititi speculated. "Is there an ongoing relationship between Thor and Korg? Who knows?" That sounds like a yes to us.Waititi was confirmed as Thor 4's director in a report from earlier during Comic-Con week--a report that also suggested the director's live-action adaptation of the Akira manga has been delayed by what's being called "development concerns." However, that wasn't the only Taika Waititi news out of Comic-Con, as the actor and director was also confirmed to be guest-starring in an episode of Rick and Morty Season 4.During Marvel's Comic-Con panel, the studio also discussed a ridiculously large number of other movies and shows, including Marvel's Eternals, the Black Widow movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Kate Bishop Hawkeye Disney+ show, Marvel's "What If...?" animated series, Loki's Disney+ show, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the Vision and Scarlett Witch Disney+ series, WandaVision, the Falcon and Winter Soldier Disney+ show, a new freaking Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali, and more.Info from Gamespot.com

Marvel's popularity has grown exponentially in the 10 years since Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 was first released, as forays into shared universes in both film and TV have propelled the company to the forefront of pop culture relevance. Previously obscure characters such as the Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther have risen to prominence thanks to appearances in movies, becoming household names, while new characters like Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel, and Spider-Gwen have made their debuts in the vibrant pages of comic books. The stacked roster in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order reflects the past 10 years of Marvel's history, assembling a cast of beloved characters, both old and new, that extends its reach into almost every corner of the cosmos. The diversity of Ultimate Alliance's playable characters has always been the series' strongest aspect, and that remains true in Ultimate Alliance 3, where our favorite heroes team up for an enjoyable adventure brimming with synergized action.Much like its predecessors, Ultimate Alliance 3 is an isometric action-RPG, hack-and-slash hybrid featuring four playable characters at any one time that you can switch between on the fly. There are a couple of left-field character inclusions counted amongst its comprehensive roster, like the monster-hunting Elsa Bloodstone and The Inhumans' Crystal, but it's an otherwise familiar list of names that features everyone from Hawkeye and Doctor Strange to Iron Man and Thor. Somewhat predictably, the plot revolves around the Infinity Stones after a Guardians of the Galaxy-related mishap scatters them across the Earth and into the hands of the evil-doers in Marvel's rogues' gallery.Thanos and his ruthless Black Order play their part, but the story is less Marvel Cinematic Universe and more Saturday morning cartoon. That works in the game's favor, and the light-hearted writing and enthusiastic voice acting carry a narrative that does as much as it can with so many characters vying for screen time. There are fun one-liners, and the characters feel true to the ones we know, with their iterations pulling from the MCU, comics, and TV. It also helps that this isn't simply a rehash of well-trodden ground, despite the presence of many common elements. Instead, Ultimate Alliance 3 tells an original tale that takes some inspiration from 1991's The Infinity Gauntlet, while also encompassing various aspects of Marvel's films, comic books, and TV shows to create something of its own.You only need to glance at the roster to see how Ultimate Alliance 3 pulls from every eclectic branch of the Marvel machine. Costumes and character designs are judiciously plucked from numerous sources--all homogenized by a uniform comic book-inspired art style that's full of color. The most important thing about these characters, however, is how each of them feels to play. Each hero has light and heavy attacks that can unleash various combos, as well as four super abilities that are gradually unlocked as each character levels up. There's also a block that negates some damage and a handy roll for dodging out of danger. Simple stuff. What elevates Ultimate Alliance 3's combat is the variety inherent to each of its heroes and the numerous ways in which they work in tandem. Take someone like Captain America, for example, who's all about punching enemies in the face and following up with a vibranium shield to the ribs. He plays a lot differently to a ranged character like Star-Lord, who is ideally suited to fighting from a distance with his dual elemental pistols and flight-enabling jet boots. The differences aren't just restricted to each hero's choice of weaponry or traversal, either; the Hulk is a lumbering force of nature, Wolverine strikes with quick and agile ferocity, and myriad damage types like piercing, ethereal, fire, and ice differentiate each character even further.Then there are the abilities that tap into every hero's spate of superpowers. An energy meter governs how often you can let loose with these snazzy attacks, but Ultimate Alliance 3 is fairly generous about replenishing any lost energy in rapid fashion. This is important because using these abilities with abandon and combining them with others is a ton of fun. The basic light/heavy combat is satisfying on its own. There's a lot of button mashing, but fights can get pretty hectic when enemy projectiles are bouncing all over the screen, so you still need to be wary of your positioning and be able to avoid danger. Abilities add another layer, letting you blast away a crowd of goons with a wrecking ball comprised of Spider-Man's webs, spin Mjolnir around in a deadly electrified circle, or mow down anyone unfortunate enough to get in the way of Ghost Rider's hellfire bike.Proximity to teammates also allows you to combine certain abilities with others to unleash devastating synergy attacks that amplify their damage output, whether it's Iron Man reflecting his beam off Captain America's shield or Deadpool tossing a deluge of grenades as Storm shoots a bolt of lightning out of her fingertips. Dole out enough punishment and you can activate a big Alliance Extreme attack that triggers all four of your character's synergy attacks at once, filling the screen with a vivid cascade of particle effects, explosions, and ever-increasing damage numbers. The frame rate can take a hit during these moments, but you're just watching the fireworks at that point, so it isn't really an issue in gameplay.The diversity of Ultimate Alliance's playable characters has always been the series' strongest aspect, and that remains true in Ultimate Alliance 3, where our favorite heroes team up for an enjoyable adventure brimming with synergized actionThe level design is fairly straightforward, funneling you down corridors and into more open areas with little deviation. This does, however, lend itself to a sense of forward momentum as you're constantly encountering new foes to fight. The only thing that slows it down are some terribly dull puzzles that are fortunately few and far between, revolving around pressing levers and pushing boxes, and a camera that has a tendency to get stuck behind objects or jitter up and down when not completely stuck. This is an occasional problem during combat when you're momentarily blind to enemy attacks, but it can be an annoyance when simply traversing as well.It's a shame you can't just forget the camera is even there because each level takes place in a new location and the environments on show are fantastically varied. Dimension-hopping allows the action to venture away from Earth and into some of Marvel's more outlandish settings as you barrel towards the end credits, and Ultimate Alliance 3 makes good use of the sheer number of enemy factions that exist in the Marvel universe. Within the first couple of hours you'll brawl your way through The Raft and tangle with Spider-Man's nemeses before joining Daredevil and Iron Fist in a battle against The Hand's ninja army. This makes for a disparate mix of enemy types and aesthetics that keeps each level feeling fresh, and the same can be said of the plethora of boss fights you regularly encounter, too.Facing off against the likes of Green Goblin, Dormammu, and Ultron can be quite challenging by yourself on the default difficulty level. Fortunately, there's a surprising amount of depth when it comes to upgrading each hero. Aside from accumulating XP to unlock more abilities, you can also spend currency to enhance each of their powers, reducing the energy cost or improving their potency. There's also a sprawling hexagonal skill tree that allows you to purchase stat increases that are applied to every hero on the roster, whether you're improving their strength, vitality, and resilience or unlocking various offensive and defensive buffs. Meanwhile, ISO-8 crystals give you the opportunity to apply additional bonuses to specific heroes. It's minute stuff like increasing health or decreasing damage under certain conditions, but it makes a difference and gives you a degree of customization that can be used to turn the tide of battle--and that's without even mentioning the importance of your chosen team's makeup.Picking heroes that work well together applies various team bonuses that can further enhance their stats. This is based on tangibles like their team affiliation, intelligence, agility, and so on. You could assemble a team of the original Avengers, the X-Men, Defenders, or Midnight Sons and see an increase in particular stats that will also take into account whether any of the heroes have shared traits like "wisecracking warrior" or "anti-hero." Maybe you want to compile a team of web-slingers, Marvel royalty, or one that encompasses the women of Marvel. You have the opportunity to recreate canon teams or mix and match to create your own based on which bonuses are applied and how they can benefit you.The only problem with all of this is that heroes only level up when you use them. Increases in strength, vitality and other similar skills are applied to everyone, but as you reach the latter half of the campaign, the lack of abilities, their upgrades, and the capability to equip multiple ISO-8s is keenly felt in your lower-level heroes, which means you end up neglecting most of the roster because they just aren't powerful enough. The workaround for this comes in the shape of XP boosts you can discover within levels and by completing optional Infinity Rifts that task you with repeating modified boss fights and challenges to earn different rewards. Getting enough XP boosts can be a long, grindy process, though, and that's just to get enough to significantly level up a single character. The diversity of Ultimate Alliance 3's roster is one of its core pillars, so feeling restricted to only using a few heroes during its final hours is a glaring disappointment.After spending some time with Ultimate Alliance 3’s online co-op, it’s clear that while the server performance isn't perfect, it also isn't too bad. There's some occasional lag that only affects the appearance of other players in your party, causing them to slightly jitter when moving around. Other than being a minor eyesore, this doesn't impact the gameplay in any way. Playing with fewer than four people is less than ideal, however, as the host is the only one with the ability to change heroes on the fly. Everyone else is locked into their pick, although this is somewhat rectified by the plentiful amount of S.H.I.E.L.D. stations found within each level that allow you to swap characters in and out. Beyond this, playing more of Ultimate Alliance 3 in co-op emphasizes the game’s replayability and the sheer enjoyment derived from using its assortment of heroes. Going back and replaying parts of the campaign gives you the opportunity to use characters you previously neglected, making it easy to fall into a groove that’ll have you eager to reach the end credits for a second time.More so than its predecessors, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order excels because of its character diversity and the ways its disparate heroes work together. For this reason alone it's an ideal co-op game, whether you're playing with another friend in the same room or with three friends online, but the AI more than holds its own if you're playing alone, too. It falters in places, but there's still nothing quite like the Ultimate Alliance series, and this long-awaited third entry makes it a triumphant return for a superhero brawler that feels more relevant than ever. Info from Gamespot.com

Day one at San Diego Comic-Con was full of trailers and surprises, including the first full trailer for HBO's His Dark Materials Season 1, which being developed with The BBC. The show is based on the Philip Pullman trilogy of fantasy novels comprising Norther Lights (known as The Golden Compass in the US), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.This Season 1 trailer shows off stars James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Dafne Keen. Season 1 follows the story of Lyra, who is played by Keen, the breakout child star of the Wolverine movie Logan. "Her search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, and becomes a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust," reads a line from the show's description. "As she journeys through the worlds, including our own, Lyra meets Will (Amir Wilson), a determined and courageous boy. Together, they encounter extraordinary beings and dangerous secrets, with the fate of both the living--and the dead --in their hands."The eight-episode His Dark Materials Season 1 was written by Jack Thorne, who wrote Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He also also attached to re-write Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker before being replaced.His Dark Materials was already adapted through the 2007 Daniel Craig movie The Golden Compass. It was not the kind of commercial success that producers New Line wanted, and the two planned sequels were never made.His Dark Materials Season 1 on HBO premieres this fall.Info from Gamespot.com

On the heels of that heartbreaking Season 2 cliffhanger, the cast and producers of Cobra Kai came to San Diego Comic-Con to give some idea about what's in store for the show's future. When last we left the characters, Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) was in bad shape in a hospital after a karate riot broke out in his high school, leading to him falling over a balcony and landing spine-first on the railing of a staircase.So what comes next? According to the show's producers, the students of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do will be figuring out how to move forward as they reflect on what's become of the two dojos full of students. As for Miyagi-Do sensei Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), his moving forward will look a lot like revisiting his past. "We will see Daniel LaRusso return to Okinawa," executive producer John Hurwitz revealed.Fans of the Karate Kid franchise will remember Daniel took his first trip to Okinawa, Japan in The Karate Kid II, in which a then-young Daniel traveled to the country with Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). Hopefully this time he doesn't get stuck in a typhoon or a fight to the death. After all, he's got a family to think about back at home in the valley.San Diego Comic-Con 2019 Schedule: Panels, Activations, And MoreWhen it comes to the other characters on the show, there's not a lot to be known as Season 3 production hasn't started yet. However, Martin Kove does believe that Sensei Kreese will find some kind of redemption after ousting Johnny (William Zabka) as the head of Cobra Kai. "Coming up soon, I think there's a lot of redemption," he said. "I think there should be. But if there isn't, I think that'll be a really good dance."As for what redemption looks like to Sensei Kreese, who has turned his back on his greatest student, that's anyone's guess. Given what we've seen of him so far on Cobra Kai, though, chances are he's not going to give up his devious ways without a fight.Cobra Kai will return to YouTube in 2019. Info from Gamespot.com

HBO debuted the latest trailer for His Dark Materials during the show's Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019--a panel that included executive producer Jane Tranter, writer Jack Thorne, Dafne Keen (Lyra Belacqua), Ruth Wilson (Marisa Coulter), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Lee Scoresby), and James McAvoy (Lord Asriel).The His Dark Materials books, beginning with The Golden Compass (Northern Lights outside of North America) in 1995 and concluding with book 3, 2000's The Amber Spyglass, are a fantasy series set in a world in which humans' souls are embodied in companion animals that live outside their bodies. The series follows Lyra Belacqua, a young girl whose journey goes to some very surprising places by the end.Tranter discussed why she chose to tackle this adaptation--one that's been attempted more than once in the past. "I thought it was time for the books to be liberated in a space which could do them justice," she said. "I think that all of those different adaptations have all been brilliant in their own ways, but the real estate of contemporary television--being able to stretch those books out and sound every note that Philip Pullman sounded in the novels--I just thought it was time."She said the show starts the same way as the Philip Pullman books on which they're based--with the attempted murder of Lord Asriel, which Lyra thwarts.Thorne, who handled writing the adaptation itself, said when he starts an adaptation (he wrote the stage play for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child previously), he learns as much as possible about the original work's author first. "I think that's what we've tried to do, is just try and capture the important notes, and tell them to the best of our ability," the writer said.Thorne revealed that he and Tranter worked on 46 drafts of the first episode. Getting the daemons--an integral part of the series' lore--right was particularly important. "You do sometimes get lost in other stuff, but the thing about the daemons is that they are characters," Thorne said. "Everything that Philip built is for a reason."Keen and Wilson discussed shooting with their "daemons," revealing that they used puppeteers to represent the CG creatures during filming. The puppeteers were later edited out as the CG daemons were added, but the actresses said it helped them to have physical representations in the room.Miranda, famous for his musical Hamilton, said the His Dark Materials book are particularly important to him. "When my wife and I started dating we read these books together," Miranda said. "They're in a really special place in my heart." He was thrilled when he was offered the part of Lee Scoresby, and he revealed how his character will enter the show: Lee's first scene is set on his hot air balloon, where he sings a duet with his daemon.Keen, on the other hand, revealed she wasn't a fan of the books when she auditioned for the part, and had only read about halfway through the first novel, The Golden Compass, because she didn't believe she'd be cast. When she got the part, though, she dove in again, and found she couldn't put them down."Literally until I finished the three books, I did not close the book," Keen, who X-Men fans know as X-23 in Logan, said. "They're just so fun, they're so entertaining, they're so good, because Philip's amazing." She repeatedly raised her hands to her head to mime her mind being blown.Part of the reason the books are so popular is they're far more than they appear. "That's why these books are so fascinating," Wilson said--they're not just a coming-of-age story, but deal with religion, philosophy, and more. Fans no doubt are hoping this adaptation won't shy away from those aspects the way some previous ones--particularly the 2007 movie--have.Tranter took the opportunity of the panel to clarify what she believes the source material's stance on religion is."Philip Pullman, in these books, is not attacking belief, not attacking faith, not attacking religion or the church per se," Tranter said. "He's attacking a particular form of control where there is a very deliberate attempt to withhold information, keep people in the dark, and not allow ideas and thinking to be free."She said that although that authoritarian force is represented by the Magisterium in His Dark Materials, it doesn't equate directly with any real-world churches or religions. Fans might have different ideas, but Tranter seemed firm in this position.The executive producer also said it took a while to get HBO on board. "It was a long process," she said. "It took us a couple of years to really begin to put the pieces together in a way that people other than myself and Jack...and a small group of people could see." Eventually, HBO got it, and they came on board as a partner to the BBC. "It's not an easily comprehensible piece, and I think [HBO] felt that was very much for them," Tranter said.Hopefully, fans will believe it's very much for them, as well, when His Dark Materials arrives on HBO this fall. Info from Gamespot.com

Gears 5 doesn't release until September, but Microsoft is inviting players in for a sneak peek during this weekend's technical test for the multiplayer mode. The client is already available to download for Xbox One and PC, and now the studio has confirmed exactly when the servers go live.[Update] Developer The Coalition has noted on Twitter that the tech test is currently experiencing some issues, which could impact the performance for a period "While we resolve some of the issues as soon as possible, you may see an increase to estimated wait time to get in," it explained. "The actual wait time will decrease dramatically as we stabilize the services and let in more players. Thanks for your patience."When Do Servers Go LiveThe tech test begins July 19 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, and it runs through the same time on July 22. A second tech test runs the following weekend, from July 26 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET through July 29 at the same time.What's In ItThe Gears 5 Tech Test includes three modes (Arcade, Escalation, and King of the Hill), along with two multiplayer maps--District and Training Grounds. The test also includes the new Bootcamp mode, which is a tutorial mode of sorts that teaches players the basics.Also included in the tech test is "Tour of Duty," which is a progression system that rewards players with the "Tester Weapon Skin" by completing certain challenges; the skin will be available in Gears 5 when it releases.How To Get InAccess to the Gears 5 tech test is locked behind a paywall. You must either pre-order the game or subscribe to Xbox Game Pass (standard or Ultimate) to try out the game.For lots more on the granular details on the Gears 5 tech test, read this FAQ. You can also see the minimum and recommend PC specs here.Info from Gamespot.com