The nominations for the 71st Emmy Awards have been announced. The annual TV awards are set to air on September 22, and this year the nominations are dominated by Game of Thrones.Season 8 of HBO's hugely successful fantasy show has set a new Emmy record with a total of 32 nominations. That's more nominations for a single season than any show in Emmy history--the record was previously held by NYPD Blue, which scored 26 in 1994. Game of Thrones' nominations include Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Actress in a Drama for Emilia Clarke, and Outstanding Actor in a Drama for Kit Harrington.While no other series came close to Game of Thrones' total, there were some other shows with impressive nominations numbers. These include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (20), Chernobyl (19), Saturday Night Live (18), Barry (17), and Fosse/Verdon (17).Other notable nominations include a seventh Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for Veep's Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Best TV nominations for Black Mirror's Bandersnatch and the Deadwood movie, Mahershala Ali for True Detective, and nominations for Netflix shows Russian Doll and When They See Us.You can check out some of the top categories below, and read up on the full list for more details.Emmy 2019 NomineesOutstanding Drama SeriesBetter Call Saul (AMC)Bodyguard (Netflix)Game of Thrones (HBO)Killing Eve (BBC America)Ozark (Netflix)Pose (FX)Succession (HBO)This Is Us (NBC)Outstanding Comedy SeriesBarry (HBO)Fleabag (Amazon)The Good Place (NBC)The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)Russian Doll (Netflix)Schitt's Creek (Pop)Veep (HBO)Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy SeriesChristina Applegate, Dead to Me (Netflix)Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll (Netflix)Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek (Pop)Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag (Amazon)Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy SeriesAnthony Anderson, Black-ish (ABC)Don Cheadle, Black Monday (Showtime)Ted Danson, The Good Place (NBC)Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method (Netflix)Bill Hader, Barry (HBO)Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek (Pop)Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesEmilia Clarke, Game of Thrones (HBO)Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (BBC America)Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix)Mandy Moore, This Is Us (NBC)Sandra Oh, Killing Eve (BBC America)Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama SeriesJason Bateman, Ozark (Netflix)Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us (NBC)Kit Harrington, Game of Thrones (HBO)Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)Billy Porter, Pose (FX)Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us (NBC)Info from Gamespot.com

Marvel Studios may be sending a pair of directors on "tour" for Avengers: Endgame's home release, but DC's pre-SDCC announcements are kicking up into high gear too with today's news: creators Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch will be teaming up on a brand new 12-issue Batman limited series called, ominously, The Batman's Grave, set to debut this fall.The series, according to a press release from DC Entertainment, will focus in on "Batman's almost psychotic connection to murder victims" as he "immerses himself in their lives and obsesses over every detail of their deaths. Even as Batman would process the evidence and approach the perpetrator from one side, he would live inside the life of the victim as they approached their death."Comic-Con schedule, news, and panels roundupThe creative team, who have worked together on Wildstorm's cult classic The Authority, spoke about their connection and history with Bruce Wayne. Ellis said, "It’s been twenty-five years since I did a full-length story with the Batman. I’ve decided to revisit the crime scene where my career in American comics began, and I’m so grateful that my old comrade Bryan Hitch is doing this midnight run with me. It’s been too many years since we last did a long campaign together."Hitch continued, "I’ve drawn some covers and used Batman in Justice League and JLA, but since I read Jim Aparo and Don Newton’s Batman runs in the 80’s I’ve wanted to do a proper, big Batman story. Fellow Authoritarian Warren Ellis had one to tell, so when he mentioned it I said ‘yes’ before even asking what it was about. That’s what you do when Warren says ‘I’ve got a proper, big Batman story.’ It’s been over twenty years since we changed Superhero comics together, and now we get to give Batman the fight of his life."The Batman's Grave #1 hits shelves on October 9, everywhere comics are sold. Info from Gamespot.com

The Season of Opulence is well underway, and Destiny 2's latest update just dropped even more content for fans to blast through this season. There are now two new Exotics to chase: Lumina, a hand cannon that marks the third part of the story of Dredgen Yor, and Bad Juju, a pulse rifle with ties to Toland the Shattered. You also have a new slate of Moments of Triumph to chase down before the arrival of Shadowkeep. Meanwhile, if you're still trying to climb to the new Power cap of 750, one route you can take to get Powerful gear drops is the weekly Ascendant Challenge in the Dreaming City. As always, we've continued to rotate through the available Ascendant Challenges; the specifics of what you have to do are the same, but it's not immediately obvious where you need to go or what's going to happen inside. Below, you'll find a guide to help you out.Before you try to tackle the Ascendant Challenge, the same requirements as always hold true; most notably, you need a Tincture of Queensfoil. This is a consumable item that you'll happen upon while playing in the Dreaming City, although you can also buy them. Using a Tincture gives you the Ascendance buff, which allows you to see a Taken portal. It's this portal you must go through to complete the Ascendant Challenge. Along with a Tincture, you have to grab the Ascendant Challenge bounty from Petra in the Dreaming City; it's through this that you actually get your Powerful gear.For the current challenge, the portal is located in Rheasilvia. In the northeast corner, head inside a building and go straight as far as you can. Turn right, and then go left in the next area to reach Harbinger's Seclude. Go up a set of stairs and out the doorway on the right. Head straight through this area, through another doorway, and continue straight in the next zone. At the end of a bridge you'll see a statue covered in Taken Blight balls; look for hidden Ascendant platforms to appear in the big open area in front of the statue starting on the right side of the room that will take you to the top, or jump up the blights themselves to reach the portal on top of the statue's head. Check out the video above for a walkthrough. If you struggle to get up, take out your ghost and you'll see some invisible platforms just off the slide of the area that can help you get up.Going through the portal transports you to the Keep of Honed Edges in the Ascendant Plane. Platform your way across a series of rocks and you'll find an area with three knights who are immune to damage. Kill all of the other enemies and the barrier protecting a sword will go away, allowing you to pick up the relic.At this point, more enemies spawn in and one knight will begin attacking you. Kill the knight, and the other two will join the fray along with additional enemies. Take them all out, and you'll again have to platform across a series of rocks, now with enemies to make things more challenging. There is debris moving through the area, and at least certain things you step on will disappear after a short period of time, so make sure not to linger. Make your way toward a platform with a large blue object on it to complete the challenge.As in previous weeks, the chest you receive at the end of the Ascendant Challenge isn't anything special. But the bounty you get from Petra offers Powerful gear for completing it; this can help to boost your Power level, so ensuring you have the bounty is essential.Meanwhile, the quest for Thorn should keep players busy for a bit. It also represents another step forward in one of the biggest, most interesting running stories in all of Destiny lore--check out our lore catch-up guide for everything you need to know about the famous gun, its famous wielder, and what's going on with the Drifter as the Season of the Drifter continues.Info from Gamespot.com

The moon is dark and full of terrors in Destiny 2's upcoming Shadowkeep expansion. Bungie released a new trailer gives us a more detailed look at the locations you'll be blasting Hive in this fall. The trailer also includes a few hints about what else might be hiding under the lunar surface.Bungie first showed the trailer during GuardianCon earlier this month. Mostly, it's just a video fly-through of Shadowkeep locales set to music. The expansion marks the first time players have returned to the moon since Destiny 1. It was a significant location in that game but has been absent from Destiny 2, until now. But as the trailer demonstrates, Shadowkeep represents an entirely different area from the Hellmouth of the first game, and there seem to be some strange new things hidden within it. Watch the trailer above.Look closely, and you'll see red-tinted Hive scattered throughout Shadowkeep, which looks to represent a new faction and might give a suggestion of who these aliens serve. (There's a lot of Hive lore about the Hive's leaders and gods, including Oryx the Taken King from Destiny 1, and his siblings, Savathun--a name all over Destiny 2--and Xivu Arath). There are also brief glimpses of a Fallen Vandal, which might suggest the moon's population of Fallen are fighting the Hive in Shadowkeep, and of a weird-looking Vex Minotaur. He could be one of the Nightmares, the resurrected versions of past enemies that have been awoken on the moon and need you to kill them. Then again, we can also see a Vex gate in the shot. We know Shadowkeep's new raid will take place in the Black Garden, a special Vex location from the first Destiny, so this Minotaur could be related to that.There's also a shot in the trailer that gives a possible hint at how Shadowkeep will tie into future story developments in Destiny 2. It shows some creepy figures floating in the air somewhere within the Shadowkeep. These could be bodies of the Hive's Guardian victims (the moon was the site of a massive battle years ago, in which a whole ton of Guardians were permanently killed). Or those figures might not be human at all, and instead related to a new threat teased at the end of Destiny 2's vanilla campaign. Destiny's current story suggests there's another alien race who attacked far in the past, and they're on their way back to the solar system.Of course, there's a whole lot we still don't know about Shadowkeep, and the new trailer is very thin on details. We're stuck waiting until the expansion's release on September 17 to learn more.Info from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft has revealed the full list of games that will be available on Uplay+ when the service launches. First teased at E3 2019, Uplay+ is a subscription-based service that gives you access to a library of games--think along the same lines as EA Access or Xbox Game Pass."The value of Uplay+ is that you not only get access to our catalog of more than 100 games and DLC, but you also will be able to enjoy our upcoming releases," Ubisoft VP of platform and product management Brenda Panagrossi said in a blog post. "Uplay+ subscribers will be able to play Ghost Recon Breakpoint and Watch Dogs Legion premium editions. Couple that with upcoming games like Gods & Monsters and Rainbow Six Quarantine, Uplay+ is packed with new releases in the first 12 months for only $14.99/month."Exclusive to PC, Uplay+ launches with close to a hundred games on September 3. Some of the most notable titles included are Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Ultimate Edition, Child of Light, Far Cry 5 - Gold Edition, For Honor - Marching Fire Edition, Rayman Legends, South Park: The Fractured but Whole - Gold Edition, Rainbow Six Siege - Ultimate Year Four Edition, Splinter Cell Blacklist - Deluxe Edition, The Division 2 - Ultimate Edition, Trials Rising - Gold Edition, and Watch Dogs 2 - Gold Edition.As Panagrossi mentioned, new Ubisoft games scheduled to come in 2020 will be added to the service as well, including Gods & Monsters, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Watch Dogs Legion. The full list can be found below. The bolded titles will not be available come launch.Current Uplay+ Game List (Subject To Change)Anno 1800 - Deluxe EditionAnno 2205 - Ultimate EditionAssassin's Creed - Director's CutAssassin's Creed Brotherhood - Deluxe EditionAssassin's Creed Chronicles - ChinaAssassin's Creed Chronicles - IndiaAssassin's Creed Chronicles - RussiaAssassin's Creed Freedom Cry - Standalone EditionAssassin's Creed II - Deluxe EditionAssassin's Creed III + Liberation RemasteredAssassin's Creed IV Black Flag - Gold EditionAssassin's Creed Odyssey - Ultimate EditionAssassin's Creed Origins - Gold EditionAssassin's Creed Origins - Discovery TourAssassin's Creed Revelations - Standard EditionAssassin's Creed Rogue - Deluxe EditionAssassin's Creed Syndicate - Gold EditionAssassin's Creed Unity - Standard EditionBeyond Good and EvilBrothers in Arms: Earned In BloodBrothers in Arms: Hells HighwayBrothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30Child of LightCold FearFar Cry 2 - Fortune's EditionFar Cry 3 - Blood Dragon (Standalone)Far Cry 3 - Deluxe EditionFar Cry 4 - Gold EditionFar Cry 5 - Gold EditionFar Cry New Dawn - Deluxe EditionFar Cry Primal - Digital Apex EditionFlashback OriginFor Honor - Marching Fire EditionFrom DustGods & MonstersI Am AliveImperialismImperialism 2Might & Magic IXMight & Magic VII - For Blood And HonorMight & Magic VIII -Day of the DestroyerMight & Magic X Legacy - Deluxe EditionMight & Magic: Heroes II - Gold EditionMight & Magic: Heroes III - Complete EditionMight & Magic: Heroes V - Standard EditionMight & Magic: Heroes VI - Gold EditionMight & Magic: Heroes VI - Shades of DarknessMight & Magic: Heroes VII - Deluxe EditionMight & Magic: Heroes VII - Trial by FireMonopoly PLUSOdePanzer General 2Panzer General 3D assaultPOD GoldPrince of Persia (2008)Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands - Deluxe EditionPrince of Persia: The Sands of TimePrince of Persia: The Two ThronesPrince of Persia: Warrior WithinRayman 2Rayman 3Rayman ForeverRayman LegendsRayman OriginsRayman Raving RabbidsSilent Hunter 2Silent Hunter 3Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific - Gold EditionSilent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic - Gold EditionSouth Park: The Fractured but Whole - Gold EditionSouth Park: The Stick of Truth - Standard EditionSpeed BusterStarlink - Digital Deluxe Starter KitSteep - X Games Gold EditionThe Crew - Ultimate EditionThe Crew 2 - Gold EditionThe Settlers 1 - History EditionThe Settlers 2 - History EditionThe Settlers 3 - History EditionThe Settlers 4 - History EditionThe Settlers 5: Heritage of the Kings - History EditionThe Settlers 6: Rise of an Empire - History EditionThe Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom - History EditionTom Clancy's EndWarTom Clancy's Ghost ReconTom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier - Deluxe EditionTom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands – Ultimate EditionTom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint - Gold EditionTom Clancy's Rainbow Six - Standard EditionTom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 - Gold EditionTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: LockdownTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege - Ultimate Year Four EditionTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: VegasTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas IITom Clancy's Rainbow Six: QuarantineTom Clancy's Splinter CellTom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist - Deluxe EditionTom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos TheoryTom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction - Deluxe EditionTom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double AgentTom Clancy's The Division - Gold EditionTom Clancy's The Division 2 - Ultimate EditionTrackmania TurboTransference - UplayTrials Evolution - Gold EditionTrials Fusion - Standard EditionTrials Rising - Gold EditionUnoValiant HeartsWarlords BattlecryWarlords Battlecry 2Watch_Dogs - Complete EditionWatch_Dogs 2 - Gold EditionWatch_Dogs Legion Ultimate EditionWorld In Conflict - Complete EditionZombiWe got our first look at Gods & Monsters, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Watch Dogs Legion at E3 2019. Made by the Assassin's Creed Odyssey team, Gods & Monsters essentially takes the Atlantis storyline of Odyssey and expands upon it into a full-fledged game where you hunt down monsters from Greek mythology with the weapons and powers of the gods. Rainbow Six Quarantine is a standalone version of Rainbow Six Siege's limited-time Outbreak mode, which sees Team Rainbow's Operators fight against waves of zombified humans to stop an infection in PvE combat. Watch Dogs Legion takes the franchise to London, expanding your options in how you take fight tyranny by allowing you to play as any NPC in the city.Info from Gamespot.com

As Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to come more into focus, it looks as though Chris Hemsworth isn't leaving the franchise anytime soon. It's being reported that a follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok is happening, with Taika Waititi returning to direct the film.The news comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which claims a deal has been signed by Waititi to write and direct the film. The report includes bad news about another of Waititi's upcoming projects. His live-action adaptation of the Akira manga has been delayed by what's being called "development concerns."Waititi's first involvement with Akira was first revealed in 2017, though the film has seemingly come no closer to being made since then. In April 2018, Waititi said he didn't intend to remake the film version of Akira, but instead stick to adapting the manga. "A lot of the people freaking out haven't even read the books, and there are six gigantic books to go through. It's so rich," he said in an interview at the time. "But Akira is one of my favorite films. My mum took me to see it when I was 13 and it changed my life."As for another Thor movie, it will be interesting to see which characters are showcased. After Avengers: Endgame, Thor has headed off into space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, while his fellow Asgardians--along with Korg and Miek--remain on Earth in New Asgard.While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will almost certainly set Thor on whatever course he's going to be on for another standalone movie, here's hoping they find a way to work Korg, Miek, and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) into the equation once again. A release date for Thor 4 has not been revealed at this point.Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft has announced even more additions to Xbox Game Pass for PC and console coming throughout the rest of July. On top of the usual suite of additions, this month will also bring access to the Gears 5 technical test.The Gears 5 test is otherwise reserved for those who preorder Gears 5, but since the game is included with Game Pass, so is the test. It will kick off on Friday, July 19, but you can download the client starting Wednesday, July 17. This test will cover the PvP portion of multiplayer, with a separate Horde Mode test coming in August.As usual, the other game offerings for the month are split into games appearing on PC, console, or both. The next few weeks will bring Night Call on release day for PC, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and Resident Evil 4 for Xbox One, and The Banner Saga 3, For The King, and Killer Instinct for both platforms. Check below for a breakdown of dates and platforms.These join the previous July additions, which included Undertale, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, My Time at Portia, Timespinner, Unavowed, Lego City Undercover, Dead Rising 4, and Blazing Chrome.Xbox Game Pass offers an all-you-can-eat subscription to a curated library of games for $10 per month on PC or Xbox One. An "Ultimate" version that includes both subscriptions along with Xbox Live Gold is also available for $15. If you're already a Gold or Game Pass member you may be able to upgrade your membership for cheap.Xbox Game Pass - Late JulyJuly 17: Gears 5 Technical Test Pre-Load (PC, Xbox One)Night Call (PC)July 18:Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (Xbox One)The Banner Saga 3 (PC, Xbox One)July 19: Gears 5 Technical Test (PC, Xbox One)July 25:For The King (PC, Xbox One)Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition (PC, Xbox One)Resident Evil 4 (Xbox One)Info from Gamespot.com

A special event has been announced for Pokemon Go. Niantic's hit Pokemon mobile game is teaming up with the popular manga series One Piece for a collaboration event next week, which will give players around the world a chance to capture a special Pikachu.Beginning July 22, Pikachu wearing One Piece hero Luffy's iconic straw hat will begin spawning worldwide for a limited time. A straw hat avatar item will also be available from the in-game Style Shop, while players in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan will be able to visit statues of Luffy and other One Piece characters, which will serve as new PokeStops.One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda was born in Kumamoto Prefecture, which was devastated by an earthquake back in 2016, just a few months prior to Pokemon Go's launch. The special Pokemon Go/One Piece event is an effort to help draw people to the area. Pokemon Go and One Piece are both also celebrating anniversaries in July, making this month a special occasion for both properties.In the meantime, a new Legendary Pokemon is appearing in Pokemon Go. Armored Mewtwo can be found in five-star Raids from now until July 31. This version of the Legendary Psychic Pokemon is sporting the armor it wears from the new Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution movie. It also boasts different stats and can learn different moves than standard Mewtwo.Pokemon Go's next Community Day is also just around the corner. The monthly event returns this Sunday, July 21. The featured Pokemon this month will be Mudkip, the Water-type starter from Ruby and Sapphire. On top of increased Mudkip spawns, players can also earn triple the usual amount of XP for capturing Pokemon during the event.Info from Gamespot.com

The first update for Final Fantasy XIV's latest expansion, Shadowbringers, is now live and gives players their first wave of post-release content. Patch 5.01 introduces additional quests for those who finished the Shadowbringers main scenario questline under the umbrella of Chronicles of a New Era. There are also a handful of tweaks to many of the jobs and bug fixes, but the most substantial addition is the new 8-player raid dungeon called Eden's Gate.You can access the raid by finishing the new quest called "In the Middle of Nowhere" (found at the Crystarium near the main Aetheryte) and starting the follow-up quest "Deploy the Core." Players will need an average gear level of 425 to take part in Eden's Gate and complete its four parts Resurrection, Inundation, Descent, and Sepulture.In the 5.01 patch notes regarding rewards for running the new dungeon raid, Square Enix gave the following details:Treasure coffers that appear upon completing Eden's Gate will not yield gear, but instead yield tokens that can be traded for gear of your choosing.You can only receive one token per individual Eden raid each week. In the event you are awarded a token from the loot list, you relinquish your right to vie for all remaining tokens regardless of whether you selected Need or Greed.There is no weekly restriction on entering Eden's Gate.Reward eligibility will be reset every Tuesday at 1 AM PT.As for item exchange for new gear, you can go to Ghul Gul in Amh Araeng or Yhal Yal in Eulmore to trade in those early antiquity tokens for the following gear:Head: Helm of Early Antiquity x 2Body: Armor of Early Antiquity x 4Hands: Gauntlets of Early Antiquity x 2Waist: Belt of Early Antiquity x 1Legs: Chausses of Early Antiquity x 4Feet: Greaves of Early Antiquity x 2Accessories: Bangle of Early Antiquity x 1There are more details on completion rewards for the new raid as well:Upon completing Eden's Gate: Sepulture, players can also earn a blade of early antiquity once per week. This reward can be exchanged with Ghul Gul in Amh Araeng or Yhal Yal in Eulmore for lightweight tomestones, which can be exchanged for weapons.Weapons will be available for exchange for lightweight tomestones after the introduction of Allagan tomestones of phantasmagoria, which are scheduled to be released two weeks after patch 5.01.Reward eligibility will be reset every Tuesday at 1 AM PT.Slight tweaks were made for a few jobs across all of FFXIV: Lancer/Dragoon ability Disembowel duration has increased for 24 seconds to 30 seconds, Scholar ability Art of War had its MP cost reduced from 800 to 600, and Astrologian ability Gravity also its MP cost reduced from 700 to 600. You can view the full patch notes for FFXIV 5.01 here.A Nier Automata-themed 24-player alliance raid called YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse is coming in the future, and it's being made in collaboration with series creator Yoko Taro. FFXIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida said it'll play closer to Nier and that Yoko Taro is working on it "as if he's creating a whole game."This is the third expansion for FFXIV, and GameSpot reviewer Ginny Woo awarded Shadowbringers a 9/10 praising its great storytelling, strong instanced dungeons, and new Trust system (which lets you bring the game's characters into dungeons as AI teammates instead of real players). For a broad overview of what's new in the expansion, check out the biggest changes made to FFXIV for Shadowbringers, or if you need help with the new jobs, be sure to use our Gunbreaker and Dancer starting guide.Info from Gamespot.com

The annual limited-time Summer Games event has returned to Overwatch. The event continues until early August, offering three weeks of challenges to complete, new cosmetics to unlock, and the return of a beloved arcade mode.The Summer Games have been divided into three segments this year, with challenges to complete during each week. Every week offers the same three challenges: win three games, win six games, and win nine games. The rewards for each week are outlined below.July 16 - July 22Win 3 Games -- Shark Attack SprayWin 6 Games -- Punchimari IconWin 9 Games -- Epic American Reaper SkinJuly 23 - July 29Win 3 Games -- Snorkeling SprayWin 6 Games -- Tennismari IconWin 9 Games -- Epic Zhongguo Mei SkinJuly 30 - August 5Win 3 Games -- Sand Castle SprayWin 6 Games -- Footballmari IconWin 9 Games -- Epic Bundesadler Reinhardt SkinThe three aforementioned skins can only be unlocked by completing those challenges, so you'll need to win at least nine games per week during the Summer Games to unlock every new cosmetic during the limited-time event. Four new Legendary skins--Kendoka Genji, Lúcioball Wrecking Ball, Surf 'N' Splash Torbjörn, and Wave Hanzo--are available to unlock via the traditional Summer Games Loot Boxes. All seven new skins are pictured below.You'll also be able to unlock any of the Epic and Legendary skins from past Summer Games if you're missing any. The same goes for old Summer Games emotes and Intros, and two new Emotes and one new Intro have been added to this year's event.In Arcade, Lúcioball has returned for the Summer Games. Overwatch's Rocket League-like soccer mode can be played in three different arenas: Estádio das Rãs, Sydney Harbour Arena, and Busan Stadium.Summer Games 2019 ends August 5, and once it's over you'll have to wait until next year to unlock its summer-themed cosmetics. So if anything tickles your fancy, it's better to jump back into Overwatch sooner rather than later. Remember, the new Epic skins can only be earned through the weekly challenges, so you need to keep playing throughout the Summer Games in order to unlock them all.This year's Summer Games has started earlier than previous ones; almost by a whole two weeks. As a result, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan revealed, in a recent dev update, that the 31st Hero would be coming out later than initially anticipated. We still know little about the new Hero, other than that Kaplan has confirmed they will be male. Overwatch is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite is preparing to wrap up Season 9 in a few weeks, and it appears this weekend could start the events that will lead into Season 10. Data miners have found evidence of an large-scale battle that could kick off on Saturday evening.The giant eyeball from Polar Peak, apparently belonging to a monster nicknamed Cattus, has vanished. It has been roaming around the island and causing havoc. Meanwhile, a giant robot called Doggus is under construction at Pressure Plant. The two seem likely for a confrontation sooner or later.Eurogamer reports that the datamines have found indications that the event will take place on July 20 at 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST / 7 PM BST (4 AM AEST on July 21). The game itself has started placing posters encouraging players to find high ground with public service notices when things start to get wild, in case you need a good vantage point to watch it all go down.If you're still catching up with Battle Stars, you can check out our challenge guide for a little hand with this week's challenges. We already know a little about Season 10, notably that it will change the system requirements. Epic also recently warned mobile players about the latest iOS 13 beta update, citing stability concerns.Info from Gamespot.com

After three weeks of 9.30 content updates, a new patch is on the way for Fortnite. The v9.40 update will arrive on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices tomorrow, July 17, and it looks set to introduce some new weapon variants to the battle royale shooter.Downtime for the v9.40 update is scheduled to begin at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST, developer Epic announced on Twitter. The studio didn't discuss what new content will arrive as part of the update, but Fortnite's in-game news feed is teasing that Epic and Legendary variants of the Tactical Shotgun are "coming soon" to the title.Given that new weapons are advertised in the News feed just ahead of their release, the Epic and Legendary Tactical Shotguns will presumably arrive in this week's 9.40 update. We'll have the full 9.40 patch notes once the update is live.Fortnite's Week 10 challenges arrived on all platforms last week, which means we're quickly nearing the end of Season 9. Epic typically caps off each season of the game with a big world-changing the event, and it appears one may happen this weekend. Dataminers have recently discovered evidence that a large battle between the monster formerly beneath Polar Peak and the giant robot being assembled at the Pressure Plant will kick off in the game on July 20.There have been numerous indications within the game that some large-scale event is happening soon. One of Week 10's challenges tasks players with visiting public service announcement signs, while players have recently begun noticing countdown timers around the island that lead up to the fateful showdown this Saturday, although what exactly that will entail remains to be seen.Info from Gamespot.com

While on the surface, Disney's latest live-action remake looks a lot like the 2016 adaptation of The Jungle Book--and even has the same director in Jon Favreau--the new Lion King was actually crafted very differently. That's due, in large part, to the technology used to make the film.During a press conference to promote the film, Favreau revealed that his take on Jungle Book owed a lot of its technique and style to James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar. "In Jungle Book, we were essentially using the same motion capture technology for performers and cameras as had been developed ten years prior for Avatar," he explained. For The Lion King, though, the technology used to make the CGI-film took a major jump forward. In particular, advances in virtual reality allowed him to create an interactive version of the movie's setting."Towards the end of [Jungle Book], there was a whole slew of consumer-facing VR products that were hitting the scene. And we started experimenting with it at the end of Jungle Book and realized that we could build this really cool system of filmmaking using game engine technology and this new VR technology," he explained.The engine in question is Unity, which is also used in the development of several games, from Hearthstone to Cuphead to Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. When it came to The Lion King, the engine and VR technology allowed Favreau to create a virtual Pridelands that both his cast and crew could fully explore."[He] did an amazing job with this," JD McCrary, who voices young Simba, recalls. "So it was me and Shahadi and Mr. Favreau. We put on the headsets, we had these little controller things in our hands, and we could fly. It was like we were Zazu. We were birds. We were whatever we wanted to be. And we saw everything. We saw the Pridelands. We saw Pride Rock. We saw the watering hole. We saw the elephant graveyard. We saw it all, man. And it was so cool."More than allowing his cast to experience the setting they'd be acting in, though, the virtual Pridelands helped Favreau and his team decide how best to film the movie. Describing the program as a sort of "multiplayer VR filmmaking game," the director noted how it allowed those on the crew without extensive visual effects backgrounds to view the set as if it were a physical location. "The crew would be able to put on the headsets, go in, scout, and actually set cameras within VR," he said. "And whenever anybody visited, I would pop them into the equipment.""It's like watching your favorite movie, but, like, you're in it," McCrary mused. "You're in the movie." Now Disney just needs to release that VR program for the rest of the world to play with. In the meantime, The Lion King is in theaters on July 18. Info from Gamespot.com

Phoenix Labs has announced the latest update for Dauntless is now live. The free-to-play Monster Hunter-like game's newest expansion is called Fortune & Glory, and it adds a bunch of new content to Dauntless--including Trials, a brand-new Hunt Pass, and more cosmetic rewards."Fortune & Glory provides Slayers with a formidable new challenge in the form of Trials," Phoenix Labs press contact Andy Burt wrote in a press release. "The Trials experience is a new gameplay offering from Lady Luck, an enigmatic figure who arrives in Ramsgate with a mysterious island in tow. Trials will pit adventurous Slayers against dangerous, modified Behemoths and all-new environmental challenges, like terrain-transforming pests. With the clock ticking through each hunt, it will be up to Trials' challengers to prove that they can execute under pressure."Split into both Normal and Dauntless difficulties, the Trials offer a variety of rewards for completing them. You can earn Steel Marks for finishing Normal Trials, which can then be used to buy weapon mods and alternate special attacks. Completing Dauntless level Trials nets you Gilded Marks, which can be used to purchase exclusive cosmetic rewards. Completing Trials is the only way to earn Steel Marks and Gilded Marks.With the arrival of Fortune & Glory comes the beginning of Dauntless' sixth season, High Skies. The new season brings a new Hunt Pass for you to work your way through, with 50 levels of pirate-themed content to unlock. Phoenix Labs reports that High Skies will actually contain two Hunt Passes, but the studio hasn't revealed a specific date for the release of the second pass (or what theme it will encompass), but it is expected to launch sometime in August.Dauntless is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. A Switch version is scheduled to release in 2019.In our Dauntless review, Ginny Woo wrote, "Overall, Dauntless is clearly an experience that has been optimized to deliver the most stress-free multiplayer session possible. From the seamless crossplay to the way that anyone can hop into a game and confidently take up arms against formidable foes, it’s refreshingly accessible and looks great to boot. While it can feel a little empty, and there are bugs that mar the experience here and there, its fresh look and lively spark are more than enticing enough to warrant a spin."Info from Gamespot.com

After a lengthy hiatus, Sega's Super Monkey Ball series is making a return later this year with the release of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD, a remastered version of the 2006 Wii game. The title will arrive on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch this October, with a PC release set to follow sometime in winter.Along with updated visuals and "optimized control schemes for each platform," Banana Blitz HD will feature 100 single-player levels and 10 different multiplayer mini-games. The game also introduces some new features such as online leaderboards and a new Decathalon mode, which challenges players with completing 10 mini-games in a row.Banana Blitz HD launches for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch on October 29. The game is available for pre-order now and retails for $40 USD. Banana Blitz HD will also launch on PC via Steam later in Winter 2019, although no specific release date for that version has been announced yet. You can take a look at the first trailer for Banana Blitz HD above.The original Banana Blitz launched in November 2006 alongside the Nintendo Wii. At the time, GameSpot awarded the title an 8.3/10 in our original Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz review, writing, "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz serves as a great proof of concept, making some great, varied use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The length of the single-player game and the inconsistent quality of the multiplayer minigames are lamentable, but the highs are high enough to make this one of the most highly recommended Wii launch games."Pre-order Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD at AmazonInfo from Gamespot.com