Avengers: Endgame returned to theatres this weekend with bonus footage, but it still hasn't passed Avatar as the biggest box office smash of all time--and it may never.That's according to "box office insiders" who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the matter. The re-release pulled in $5.5 million in the US and Canada this weekend and a further $2.3 million from overseas markets. In total, Endgame has now made $2.76 billion worldwide. That's about $27 million short of Avatar's $2.78 billion record.The box office insiders told THR that Endgame will not surpass Avatar in the immediate future, if ever. The suggestion there is that it's theoretically possible the movie will be re-released again down the road, though nothing is confirmed. After all, Avatar was re-released after it initially premiered, and that second run helped it make $33 million more.Endgame returned to theatres not only in an attempt to catch up to Avatar's box office record, but also as a tie-in to Spider-Man: Far From Home. That film, which opens this week, deals directly with the events of Endgame.Avatar recently became a Disney property when Disney acquired the majority of Fox's entertainment assets. In fact, Disney owns 6 of the top 10 highest grossing movies ever globally. The top 10 list is below.Biggest Box Office Of All Time WorldwideAvatar -- $2.78 billionAvengers: Endgame -- $2.76 billionTitanic -- $2.18 billionStar Wars: The Force Awakens -- $2.068 billionAvengers: Infinity War -- $2.048 billionJurassic World -- $1.671 billionThe Avengers -- $1.518 billionFurious 7 -- $1.516 billionAvengers: Age of Ultron -- $1.405 billionBlack Panther -- $1.346 billionInfo from Gamespot.com

Amazon's new Lord of the Rings TV show will film in New Zealand, just as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies did. This is according to The New Zealand Herald, which reports that a "huge" part of the show will be made in the country; Auckland and Queenstown were specifically called out as potential filming locations.An Auckland films industry senior member told the publication that at least two different New Zealand film production companies, Kumeu Film Studios and Auckland Film Studios, are already doing pre-production work on the show. In fact, it's reported they've been working for more than a year already on the project in various endeavors such as building studio locations.It was previously rumored that the Amazon Lord of the Rings TV show may film in Scotland. It's still possible the production will shoot in other locations outside of New Zealand. The NZ Herald reported that a "huge" part, but presumably not all, would be filmed in New Zealand.An official announcement is presumably expected soon.The new Lord of the Rings show is set in the Second Age, which is a 3,441-year period that covered major events like the forging of the Rings of Power, including the One Ring; the War of Sauron, the beginning of the Ringwraiths, and when Numenor the island sank into the ocean. Also, it was during the Second Age that the Elven city of Rivendell was developed and that the great battle where men, elves, and dwarves fought together for the first time against Sauron. A popular rumor was that the show would focus on a young Aragorn, but that may not happen.JD Payne and Patrick McKay are writing Amazon's Lord of the Rings show. They have no TV writing credits to their name, but neither did David Benioff and D.B. Weiss when they made the massively popular Game of Thrones series. Amazon's Lord of the Rings show recently brought on Game of Thrones series producer Bryan Cogman, who was known as the "third head of the dragon" for Game of Thrones, along with Weiss and Benioff.There is no word yet on when the Lord of the Rings show will premiere or who will star in it. In other news, a new Lord of the Rings video game focused on Gollum is in development at Daedalic Entertainment, while a AAA online Lord of the Rings game is also on the way.Info from Gamespot.com

The first of the Halo: Reach PC betas began this weekend, and it took no time at all for people to do what people do. Tyler Davis of developer 343 Industries announced on Twitter that the first beta test, or "flight" in the Halo parlance, was "illegally distributed online" just after release.Those who download or play the "illegal" copy of the game could have their accounts banned, while they might also be blocked from future beta tests.According to Davis, this type of illegal activity is no surprise to 343."We knew this was something that likely would happen with our early flights," he said. "We are prepared for how to handle it on our ends and this is just more so a reminder warning to people that if they circumvent it there are consequences."The first Halo: Reach PC beta began on June 28 and is scheduled to end on July 1. Another element of controversy surrounding the beta is that some people believe 343 gave preferential treatment to streamers or content creators in regards to access to the beta. This is not true, Davis said. Five out of six people granted access to the beta were chosen based on their PC hardware configurations, Davis said. The rest were content creators or "close friends" of 343 including professional gamers who have worked with Microsoft in the past. The terms of the Halo: Reach PC beta test state that footage cannot be streamed online.5 out of every 6 people were NOT content creators my friend. — Tyler “Postums” Davis (@343Postums) June 29, 2019Over time, 343 will expand the Halo: Reach for PC beta tests to include more people and provide access to different parts of the game. "We see the excitement and eagerness from the community to participate in these flights, and we hear you," 343 said in a blog post. "Just know that we are going to continue to invite more over time and get as many people in and providing feedback as possible but it's going to take some time so please hang in there.The next beta test for Halo: Reach on PC will be released ... at some point. "As stated many times before, it's ready when it's ready," 343 said.There will be beta tests for Halo: Reach on Xbox One as well, but there is no word on when they might begin. In all cases, you need to sign up for the Halo Insiders program for a shot at getting in.Halo: Reach is coming to PC through The Master Chief Collection, which will be available on Steam and Windows. It'll likely be a very long time before each title is released, as 343 is planning these betas for each title, spanning Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and finally Halo 4. Each game will be sold individually, while Xbox Game Pass subscribers on Xbox One or PC can get them all as they're released at no extra cost.Microsoft will also offer pre-release beta tests for Halo Infinite on Xbox and PC, but there is no word yet when they will begin.Info from Gamespot.com

Groudon has returned once again in Pokemon Go, but it isn't the only Legendary Pokemon making an encore appearance this week. As a reward for completing enough Global Challenges during the recent Pokemon Go Fest event in Chicago, Niantic is also bringing Raikou, one of the three Legendary dogs from Pokemon Gold and Silver, back to Raids for a limited time today, June 29.Raikou is a rare sight in Pokemon Go, making today's Raid Day a good opportunity to add one to your collection if you had previously missed it. To help you get ready, we've rounded up all the most important details about the Raikou Raid Day below, from its start times to your chances of finding a Shiny Raikou and more.Start TimesMuch like Niantic's monthly Community Day events, this weekend's Raikou Raid Day will only run for three hours, from 4-7 PM local time. During that window, Raikou will appear as a Raid Boss at Gyms, giving you a few hours to battle and capture the Legendary again.Shiny RaikouDuring the Raikou Raid Day, you'll have a chance of encountering a Shiny Raikou when you battle the Legendary at Raids. Shiny Pokemon are quite rare, so your chances of coming across one are down to luck, but it's worth going out during the event hours and participating in a few Raids.How Do I Participate In Raids?To take part in a Raid, you'll first need an item called a Raid Pass. You can obtain one of these from the first Photo Disc you spin at a Gym each day. While you can typically only receive one for free per day, Niantic is giving out up to five free Raid Passes during the Raikou Raid event as an added bonus, giving everyone a chance to participate.Once you have some Raid Passes, head to a Gym where a Raikou Raid is taking place and team up with other players in-person to battle the Legendary. If you defeat it, you'll earn a handful of Premier Balls along with the opportunity to capture it. Raikou is a pure Electric-type, which makes it especially vulnerable to Ground Pokemon such as Groudon (which is also currently available as a Raid Boss), Rhyperior, and Golem.There's plenty more to do in Pokemon Go besides the Raikou Raid event. To commemorate the game's third anniversary, Shiny Alolan forms are appearing in the wild, and trading Pokemon requires a quarter less Stardust than normal for a limited time. As previously mentioned, Groudon is back in Raids until July 10, and the next Pokemon Go Community Day takes place on July 21. The featured Pokemon this time will be Mudkip, the Water starter from Ruby and Sapphire.Info from Gamespot.com

Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers is now available for those who pre-ordered it, and within this third expansion for Square Enix's MMORPG are brand new Jobs (or classes). Dancer falls into the Ranged DPS role, throwing bladed chakrams to attack and using rhythmic steps to provide buffs. On the other hand, Gunbreaker is the new Tank and wields a gunblade (a la Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII) to lay down damage while taking hits for the team. You can see both classes in action during their Job quests in the video above.Both Dancer and Gunbreaker require players to have at least one other Job/Class (Disciple of War or Magic) at level 60 before taking on the new Jobs. There are some important changes that come along with Shadowbringers and the 5.0 update--like the removal of TP, charge actions, and the higher level cap--and you can check out our breakdown of the biggest changes in Shadowbringers. You can also get the full rundown of what's new in the 5.0 patch, or see a preview run of a new dungeon called Dohn Mheg.Where To Find The Dancer Quest And How To FightThe quest to unlock Dancer is called "Shall We Dance" and it's located in Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks close to the main plaza Aetheryte--the coordinates are X: 9.8, Y: 12.0. After watching a few scenes you'll be given your starting weapon and a chest to open containing your new gear.The default Dancer gear set.Dancers largely rely on chances for their stronger attacks (referred to as procs). Two basic attacks Cascade and Fountain both have a 50% chance of opening more powerful versions called Reverse Cascade and Fountainfall--use these when you can. You then have a 50% chance to build your Fourfold Feather gauge, which gives you access to the Fan Dance moves (these are attacks you can use freely outside of cooldown). The attacks Windmill and Bladeshower are the AOE equivalents that can open up the stronger Rising Windmill and Bloodshower.The other mechanic to note is the rhythmic Standard Step--activating this will turn your attacks into button prompts to match a sequence. After two successful steps, you'll get a 60-second damage buff (similar to how Ninjas cast Huton through Ninjutsu to increase their attack speed).The main challenge for the level 60 Job quest is in the final fight. You'll want to be extra careful when whirlwinds are cast across the arena--avoid these at all cost. This is especially dangerous when the enemy is casting their auto-lock column attack that you can't escape; if you're hit while standing in a whirlwind, you'll die immediately.Where To Find The Gunbreaker Quest And How To FightThe quest to unlock Gunbreaker is called "The Makings Of A Gunbreaker" and it's found in New Gridania near the Aetheryte--the coordinates are X: 11.5, Y: 11.9. It'll take you to Hawthorne Hut and around for an easy fight, then you'll get your gear chest and weapon.The default Gunbreaker gear set.Like all Tanks, Gunbreaker specializes in pulling enmity (or aggro) and it'll be necessary to have the ability Royal Guard active--to pull extra enmity, you have Provoke and to divert it when you're in trouble, you have Shirk.Gunbreaker's basic attack rotation is pretty fun to execute and it basically goes like this: Keen Edge, Brutal Shell, Solid Barrel, then gain one cartridge in your Powder Gauge. With just one cartridge, you can go into a more powerful combo: Gnashing Fang, Savage Claw, Wicked Talon--these moves are also subject to cooldown, so when they're not available, just use the strong standalone attack Burst Strike. And don't forget that the Danger Zone attack lives on its own cooldown; use it when you can.You also have a two-part AOE combo of Demon Slice and Demon Slaughter, which is very effective against groups of three or more enemies. This combo also generates a cartridge for the Powder Gauge in just two attacks, making Gunbreaker even more effective as a damage-dealer.Buffs like Rampart, Nebula, and Reprisal help stave off damage taken while No Mercy boosts your attack power for a short period.There are plenty of more details to parse in order to become the most effective Dancer or Gunbreaker, but those are the basics to help get you started. Note that these tips are based on the Jobs as they are at level 60.Info from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Sword and Shield are coming to Nintendo Switch this November. The games will be compatible with the new Pokemon Home service when it launches next year, allowing players to import their older monsters to the titles--albeit with some restrictions. As we learned during E3 2019, players won't be able to transfer every old Pokemon over, and future games similarly may not support every monster--a controversial decision that has resulted in backlash from many fans. Now series producer Junichi Masuda has responded to the controversy.In a message shared on the official Pokemon website, Masuda thanks fans for their love of the series and reiterates the decision to exclude Pokemon from the titles wasn't made lightly. "Just like all of you, we are passionate about Pokemon and each and every one of them is very important to us. After so many years of developing the Pokemon video games, this was a very difficult decision for me," Masuda said.Despite the fact some Pokemon won't be transferrable to Sword and Shield, Masuda assures that those monsters won't be excluded from the series permanently. "I'd like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokemon is not available in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games."Masuda first revealed that some Pokemon wouldn't be compatible with Sword and Shield during at Treehouse Live demo at E3 2019. Masuda acknowledged this decision was a change from previous games and said it was ultimately made in part due to development time. As he explained through an interpreter:"In previous games that worked with the Pokemon Bank service, you were able to--for example, in Sun and Moon--bring over any Pokemon, even if they weren't in the Alola Pokedex. But with the transition to the Nintendo Switch hardware, being much more powerful [and] allowing us to be much more expressive with each of the individual Pokemon...at Game Freak we really spent a lot of time thinking about what the best way to move forward was, really preserving the quality of all the different Pokemon while also taking into account the battle balance, having so many different Pokemon available, all within a limited development time so we don't keep fans waiting too long for every new entry in the series. And after a lot of discussion, we decided to come to a new direction."Sword and Shield launch for Switch on November 15. The games take place in the new Galar region. We don't yet know how many monsters will be in the Galar Pokedex, but we've already gotten a glimpse at a variety of new and returning Pokemon. The games also introduce a new battle mechanic called Dynamaxing, which allows you to supersize a Pokemon for three turns during certain matches. For more on the titles, be sure to check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order guide.Info from Gamespot.com

Unless you're a Mercedes fan, you might feel that Formula 1 in 2019 is a bit stale with the team's dominance of this year's world championship. But Codemasters' F1 2019 is anything but stagnant, presenting an exciting, if idealized, version of the world's premier motorsport. It sticks mostly to the familiar cadence of previous titles with its massive career mode and loads of classic content. However, big additions like the FIA Formula 2 World Championship and scheduled online racing add even more to an already burgeoning title that's filled to the brim with enjoyable things to do--all revolving around driving some of the fastest racing cars in the world.Anyone familiar with the series will feel immediately at home with F1 2019. Functionally the menus are borrowed from previous years, so finding the mode you want to play is thankfully easy because there is just so much here. Solo play consists of the brilliant career mode, Grand Prix weekends for single races and time trials for leaderboard junkies, numerous championship scenarios--extra if you've got the Legends Edition--and the official F1 and F2 World Championships. And that's before you dig into multiplayer, which adds player-made leagues and scheduled event racing. Amazingly, none of it feels like filler, with each mode offering something different and enjoyable overall. But like in previous years, it's the career mode that gives you the fullest and most rewarding experience, venturing further into the realm of sports fantasy than it has in the past.In previous career modes, you'd simply select an F1 team to race for, set some contract goals, and go. But F1 2019's career opens with more of a throwback to Codemasters' Race Driver series, allowing you to start in the newly added Formula 2 Championship before making the step up to the big time. It's not a full season but a series of scenarios where you clash against two fantasy rivals, Lukas Weber and Devon Butler. While this opens the career with a series of cutscenes developing the competition between the three of you, once you all enter Formula 1, those personal moments don't come back; they're replaced with the comparatively lifeless email transcripts of their media interviews. It would've been nice to have more of these characters around to add some more flavor.Another big addition to the career mode is driver changes between teams. All the drivers on the grid can trade places, doing so automatically based on their prior performances. Early in my career, both McLaren drivers found themselves out of a job thanks to their poorly performing car, with Carlos Sainz booted partway through and replaced by Kimi Raikonnen, and Lando Norris making way at the end of the season for a then-jobless Pierre Gasly. It leads to some fascinating shifts in the power dynamics between current F1 teams, leading to some surprising results and a consistently intriguing run to the title. While it's jarring to see drivers replaced, especially by fantasy drivers, it adds more to the game than it takes away.You can choose to not have the fantasy drivers, but that means skipping the feeder series entirely, and the Formula 2 cars are way too much fun to do that. Smaller, less powerful, and easier to drive, the Formula 2 cars in F1 2019 are surprisingly enjoyable given their comparatively slower pace. Over-drive them and they'll slip and slide, teaching you how to find the edge of grip. As such, they make for a perfect place for beginners to grasp how to race a light and nimble car without having to step straight into the might of an F1.There's a reason they only let the best drivers in the world behind the wheels of these carbon fiber beasts; modern F1 is about much more than just driving fast. You have to manage tires, hybrid deployment, fuel usage, race strategy, and the gaps between your competitors--there's not a moment's rest for the mind, if that's how you want it to be. But the option for hugely robust assists makes it possible for both ardent fans and inexperienced players to get something out of a race. For sim fans, there are layers of strategy and car management while jostling for position, on top of driving these beautiful cars at unimaginable speeds. For everyone else, there's the thrill of close racing against their favorite drivers because of AI that gives space when needed but also fights hard to pass you when given the opportunity to pounce.The AI in last year's game was already racy, pushing for gaps and fighting back when it thought it had a chance. But F1 2019's is a further refinement of this, reacting in ways that feel like you're racing against other human players. They'll go wheel-to-wheel and defend their position by driving you to the edge of the track, sometimes making mistakes and causing incidents, and sometimes pulling off incredible overtakes by getting into your slipstream and out-braking you into a corner. F1 drivers aren't pushovers, and it's great to have that reflected in the on-track action.The cars themselves feel great to drive with both a racing wheel and a gamepad, with both feeling fast and responsive. When you're in the cockpit, it's captivating. The race engineer will talk to you during a race, keeping you informed of all sorts of important information. With a microphone you can ask them questions about pit stops or the condition of your tires, or simply tell them to shut it and they'll keep updates to a minimum. It works flawlessly, offering lots of pertinent information at the end of a button press. The weather can roll in and soak a dry track, then dry out again, adding a further layer of drama to the mix. There's a lot that can go on, especially during a longer race. A quick five-lap burst can be fun, but the longer races are where things like race strategy can really play out in satisfying ways.For sim fans, there are layers of strategy and car management while jostling for position, on top of driving these beautiful cars at unimaginable speeds. For everyone else, there's the thrill of close racing against their favorite drivers.Leagues are a welcome inclusion, allowing you and a group of like-minded folk to take part in a multiplayer season of your own making. Community leagues have formed around the F1 games for years, but having it included directly in the game is a welcome nod to those who've been running these leagues externally. Scheduled events are also a nice new feature, letting you practice and qualify whenever you like, then running races around scheduled times to encourage competition. Also new is player customization that lets you tweak your car livery, racing suit, gloves, and helmet. Some designs are free while others can be unlocked using an in-game currency earned from racing online, though annoyingly, the most interesting options will cost you real money.Where F1 2019 falls short of other racing titles is in its track accuracy. Graphically, courses are superb, with some lovely trackside details and fabulous new lighting that helps the night tracks look eerily realistic. But in terms of accuracy compared to the real-life tracks, they're still missing a lot of the character in the road surface, like the small bumps and cracks you get from a laser-scanned track. The final chicanes at Spa and Montreal are wrongly profiled, and there's a really nasty bump entering the front straight at Suzuka that's definitely not there on the real circuit. Most players outside of a handful of hardcore sim racers would never notice this, but with titles like iRacing and GT Sport offering high-fidelity versions of many of these tracks, these inaccuracies begin to stand out more over time.F1 2019 is yet another strong step forward for the now decade-long franchise, with a ton of refinements over last year's game as well as some great new features to help elevate it to a new level. The Formula 2 cars are superb to handle, and the new additions to career mode, like driver swaps, add some much-needed drama and excitement that real Formula 1 has been missing for some time now. F1 2019 is a masterclass in how to make an engaging and alluring racer, and once again stands tall on top of the podium.Info from Gamespot.com

Ahead of Season 2's launch on July 2, Apex Legends is already beginning to undergo changes. After the recent arrival of the dragon-like Flyers, even more of the map has changed in advance of what's teased in the newly released Season 2 trailers. Next time you drop in Kings Canyon, head on over to Repulsor Station and you'll notice the once dormant facility has reawakened.First noticed by Reddit user RozenFroh, the IMC Repulsor Tower at Repulsor Station has begun to spin. Titanfall and Titanfall 2 fans may remember the huge towers from Respawn's popular shooter franchise. When the towers spin, they emit a painfully loud sound at a frequency that's inaudible to humans. However, it's excruciating to animals, and so the IMC (the antagonists of the Titanfall franchise) use the towers to keep the alien Flyers and Leviathans away from important structures.Since Apex Legends' launch, the Repulsor Tower has remained inactive. The tower is most likely being turned on now in response to the growing Flyer population, which have begun invading Kings Canyon. However, as we know from Apex Legends Season 2's launch trailer (embedded above), a mysterious hacker--most likely the rumored character Crypto--is about to destroy that tower. With its destruction, there's nothing keeping the Flyers and much larger Leviathans at bay, and their invasion of Kings Canyon will make huge changes to the battle royale game's map.The start of Season 2 is right around the corner, and it introduces a bunch of new content and features in Apex Legends. The most notable change is the aforementioned transformation of Kings Canyon, which sees the destruction of several landmarks and the creation of a few new ones. Titanfall 2's L-Star is also being added as a Legendary Gold energy-based weapon, randomly dropping in Supply Drops like the Kraber and Mastiff. The Season 2 battle pass offers more Legend cosmetics and weapon skins to unlock, as well as brand-new Skydive Emotes. You'll also gain access to a ranked playlist with the launch of Season 2, giving you the chance to climb the six-tiered ladder between Bronze and Apex Predator. Finally, just like Season 1, Season 2 introduces a brand-new Legend for you to play: Wattson, the daughter of the man who built the Kings Canyon arena.In GameSpot's Apex Legends review, Phil Hornshaw wrote, "Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses. Respawn's intense focus on team play makes Apex more than just a worthy addition to the genre; it's an indicator of where battle royale should go in the future."Info from Gamespot.com

Amazon currently has a pretty sweet deal going for the hugely anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake. The retailer is offering the title for $42 USD when you apply a coupon that saves you $18. Internet super-sleuth Wario64 spotted the deal, and you can follow the link to see the deal. You can check the coupon box to apply it, and then you'll see the savings at checkout.The deal initially only applied to the standard edition of the Final Fantasy VII Remake, not the more expensive Deluxe edition that comes with various other extras. However, that's now changed, and you can also get that version at an even larger discount--it drops to $56 (down from $80) with the coupon. You can check out our FFVII Remake pre-order guide for all the details on what it includes.The game also comes with the Chocobo Chick DLC as a pre-order bonus, if that matters to you.Pre-order Final Fantasy VII Remake standard edition on PS4 for $42 »Pre-order Final Fantasy VII Remake Deluxe edition on PS4 for $56 »In other Final Fantasy deals news, the same coupon brings down the price of Final Fantasy XIV: Online Shadowbrings to $27 USD. These deals are valid only on the US Amazon store.Final Fantasy VII Remake launches on March 3, 2020 for PlayStation 4. For more, you can check out GameSpot's impressions in the video embedded above.As for Amazon, the retailer's annual Prime Day sale kicks off soon. While the official start date is coming up soon, you can already take advantage of some early deals--see them all here. Info from Gamespot.com

Actress Daisy Ridley hit a home run with her first major movie role, starring in the new Star Wars trilogy as Rey. She plays the character again in December's Rise of Skywalker, but after that, she is apparently stepping away from the sci-fi series. Speaking to BuzzFeed, Ridley re-confirmed that she is not involved in the next trilogy of films."I'm not in the next trilogy," she saidThere were rumors that Ridley might appear in either the new trilogies from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson or Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. But that's not happening."They always said it was going to be a separate story," Ridley remarked about both sets of new trilogies. The next big Star Wars movie after Rise of Skywalker is the untitled first movie in the new trilogy from Weiss and Benioff. The film is scheduled to premiere in 2022.But would Ridley ever return to the Star Wars universe, further down the road? She didn't say one way or the other, but instead said, "It's a great universe; I've had a great time."Also in the interview, Ridley confirmed she has no plans to ever return to social media, referencing Selena Gomez's quotes about how social media is dangerous. Asked if she has a plan for how to deal with haters online, Ridley said people think their opinions matter more than they actually do."It's great to have freedom of expression, but I do feel like people think opinions have so much weight," she said. "I don't think bad vibes should have the sun shone on them. I don't want to read your thing." Info from Gamespot.com

Players have discovered a neat new Battlefield V Easter Egg, but it has a horrifying twist.Players recently came across "finger gun" Easter Egg in the World War II shooter, and it's just what you'd expect. It's a "weapon" where the player's hands come together to mimic the look of a pistol. The Easter Egg is quite robust. Fire the weapon and your character will yell "ka-pow!" and "pew-pew!" as comic book-style graphics appear on screen.But then it takes a turn for the worse. You might have even seen it coming. How does one reload a finger gun? The answer is in a truly disgusting manner. The reload animation shows the player's finger snapping with bone-crunching noises and all. Then, to pull back the "hammer," the animation shows your thumb becoming dislocated and broken in multiple places.You can see it in action in the video below from YouTube user DannyonPC (via PCGamesN). Someone named zhpete reportedly was the first to discover the Easter Egg.As for how you can find the finger gun for yourself, it's not exactly clear. You apparently need to find a box with a shovel on it. If the light is green, the shovel points to an area where you can dig up the weapon. DannyonPC says they jumped around to 20 different servers to find it. The map in the video appears to be Hamada.In other news, Battlefield V was recently updated with yet another free map. The new map is called Al Sundan, and you can play it right now. Info from Gamespot.com

The Game Critics Awards has announced the winners of its 2019 E3 awards. Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Remake took home the overall Game of Show award, while the PlayStation 4 game also won Best Console Game and Best Role-Playing Game. Coincidentally, Amazon has a terrific offer right now that lets you get FFVII Remake for $42, although that promotion could end soon.The much-anticipated remake was the only title with three wins; Bethesda's Doom Eternal followed with two wins; one for Best PC Game and Best Action Game. Looking by publisher, Square Enix led the way with three overall wins, with Bethesda and Activision following with two each. By platform, PlayStation 4 led the way with 12 wins, while Xbox One and PC had 10 each, and Google Stadia with 4.The Outer Worlds won Best Original Game, while the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller took home the away for Best Hardware/Peripheral. John Wick Hex won for Best Strategy Game, while Cyberpunk 2077 picked up a special commendation for best graphics.Watch Dogs Legion won Best Action/Adventure Game, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare won for Best Online Multiplayer. Destiny 2, meanwhile, won the award for Best Ongoing Game.The winners were decided by a vote from a judges panel that include games media outlets from around the world, including GameSpot. To be considered, a game must be shown in a playable state at E3 2019 for a minimum of five minutes.Go to the Game Critics Awards website to see a full list of categories and nominees, while the complete list of winners can be seen below.2019 Game Critics Awards winners Best of ShowFinal Fantasy VII RemakeBest Original GameThe Outer WorldsBest Console GameFinal Fantasy VII RemakeBest VR/AR GamePhantom: Covert OpsBest PC GameDoom EternalBest Hardware/PeripheralXbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2Best Action GameDoom EternalBest Action/AdventureWatch Dogs: LegionBest RPGFinal Fantasy VII RemakeBest Racing GameCrash Team RacingBest Sports GamePro Evolution Soccer 2020Best Strategy GameJohn Wick HexBest Family/Social GameLuigi's Mansion 3Best Online MultiplayerCall of Duty Modern WarfareBest Independent Game12 MinutesBest Ongoing GameDestiny 2Special Commendations for GraphicsCyberpunk 2077 Info from Gamespot.com

EA Access was recently announced for PS4, ending its Xbox One exclusivity. Now, EA has finally confirmed the date its subscription service will come to Sony's flagship console: July 24.EA Access costs $30 / £20 / AU $40 for a year or $5 / £4 / AU $40 per month. The primary benefit of being a subscriber is unlimited access to an Xbox Game Pass-style library of games, known as the Vault, such as Titanfall 2, Star Wars: Battlefront II, and FIFA 18. Battlefield V also made its way to the EA Access Vault recently. These games are downloaded, not streamed, and can be played in their entirety, although they don't necessarily include all available DLC.Subscribers also get a 10% discount on all digital EA games, as well as their respective expansions and in-game purchases. Members can also take advantage of EA Access' Play First Trials, which typically give you 10 hours of early access to new EA titles prior to their official release. Sony allowing EA Access on to PS4 represents quite a change in stance. The company blocked EA from launching the service on PlayStation in 2014, saying it had "evaluated the EA Access subscription offering and decided that it does not bring the kind of value PlayStation customers have come to expect." The company has not explained its recent change of heart. A PC version of the service known as Origin Access is also available, although all three versions operate independently of each other.Elsewhere, the free PS Plus games for July 2019 were announced just recently. The PS4 games available at no extra cost for PlayStation Plus members next month will be PES 2019 and Horizon Chase Turbo.Info from Gamespot.com

Sony has announced it's setting one of PlayStation 4's big PSVR exclusive games free this weekend. Firewall Zero Hour will be free for PS Plus members from June 28 through July 1 on PS4. In addition, all players will receive double XP for the duration of the free-play weekend, and your progress will carry over should you decide to purchase the game.The PS4 game launched in August 2018 to a positive reception. The tactical shooter is multiplayer-based, pitting squads of four against each other. It ordinarily costs US $40 / £25 / AU $40--though it is currently discounted to £16 / AU $25 if you want to own it permanently (in the US, it remains $40). If you're looking to download it, it's a separate entry on PSN from the standard version of the game--you can find it here on the PlayStation Store.Firewall has also received a number of updates in the past few months, from new missions and rewards to a completely revamped user interface. Two new maps have also been released for free just recently. We said the game "showed that tactical multiplayer FPS games can work on PSVR" in our 2018 VR gaming review.The free PS Plus games for July 2019 have also been announced. The PS4 games available at no extra cost for PlayStation Plus members next month will be PES 2019 and Horizon Chase Turbo.Info from Gamespot.com

Phil Harrison, vice president and general manager of Google, has indicated that he doesn't believe data caps represent a major challenge to Stadia, the company's upcoming video game streaming service. In an interview, Harrison was asked by GameSpot how much of a limiting factor he sees data caps as. "Data caps [are] not a universal challenge," he replied, going on to say he believes that ISPs will react to demand in order to fulfill the needs of their customers."The ISPs have a strong history of staying ahead of consumer trend and if you look at the history of data caps in those small number of markets--and it’s actually a relatively small number of markets that have [data caps]--the trend over time, when music streaming and download became popular, especially in the early days when it was not necessarily legitimate, data caps moved up. Then with the evolution of TV and film streaming, data caps moved up, and we expect that will continue to be the case."Placing faith in ISPs to respond to the demands of a streaming service like Stadia, which sends 1080p or 4K video feeds to players, depending on the package they're subscribed to, presents further questions. The first being, would the adoption of Stadia be widespread enough to signal a trend that ISPs need to respond to, in the same way that music, TV, and movie streaming did.Harrison stuck to his guns when presented with this concern, saying he believes "ISPs are smart [and] they understand that they’re in the business of keeping customers happy and keeping customers with them for a long time."On the suggestion that ISPs may instead see this as an opportunity to attach further costs to having more data, which in turn would become a greater expense on the user, Harrison noted that 5G technology would be one part of the solution."There’s a very interesting additional dynamic happening in the internet market, which is the evolution of 5G, particularly in what’s called fixed wireless, which is not necessarily running 5G on your phone but as a way of bringing 5G into your home. All of the 5G fixed wireless businesses that are up now that I’m aware of have no data caps and are very very high performance, so that’s introducing a competitive dynamic. $50 a month. That’s what Verizon fixed wireless costs is for minimum 300mb/s and up to a gigabit. It’s pretty good value to me."Harrison also noted that many of the calculations that are being used to illustrate how quickly streaming at high resolution can burn through an allotment of data aren't necessarily correct."I’ve seen the math calculations that people have done. If you take 35mb/s, it’s not always 35mb/s because we use compression. There will be sometimes when actually it’s using significantly less data than that, so it’s not correct to multiply 35 mbp/s by the number of seconds that you play."Harrison is are aware that Stadia is nevertheless a demanding service and, as a result, it will "give players information about what they’re using and how they can change their resolution if they want to."Early adopters will get access to Google Stadia in November 2019 with the Founder's Edition, which is available for pre-order right now, directly from Google. Everyone else will have to wait until the Base version launches in 2020. When the Base version launches, it will be available as a free option, but people will be able to buy a Stadia controller and then purchase games a la carte to stream from anywhere without any additional fees. For access to streaming at 4K, a growing library of games, and discounts on purchasing them, players will need to pay a monthly fee for Stadia Pro.Prior to E3, Google held an event revealing key information about Stadia, including details on the subscription service, launch plans, and the games that will be available on the service. You can read all about that in our Google Stadia news roundup. Info from Gamespot.com