James Gray's 2019 film Ad Astra earned critical acclaim, and while it wasn't hugely profitable (making $131 million worldwide on a $90 budget, before marketing), the director has attracted some top talent for his next film. Deadline has revealed some casting news about the director's upcoming Armageddon Time, and it's all A-listers.The film's cast includes Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Oscar Issac, Anne Hathaway, and the previously announced Cate Blanchett. It has not been announced who each actor will play as of yet. Sutherland previously starred in Ad Astra, but these other actors have not collaborated with Gray before. Gray will write and direct the film, and it will be a period drama set in New York based on his own memories from childhood. He told Deadline that it will be " the opposite of the vast, lonely and dark void of the movie I just directed."Gray further detailed some elements of the film's plot. "What happened with me, very simply, I got in big trouble when I was around 11, though the boys are 12 in the movie, and the story is about my movement from the public education that I got into private school and a world of privilege," he says. "This film is about what that meant for me and how lucky I was, and how unlucky my friend was and about that break meant for me and what it meant for him."Several of these actors are attached to other notable upcoming projects. De Niro is teaming with Scorsese again for Killers of the Flower Moon, Cate Blanchett is attached to play Lilith in the Borderlands movie, and Oscar Issac will star in this year's Dune.Cinemas are looking to start reopening in the US in July--in some parts of the world, they've already started reopening, even though upcoming blockbusters like Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984 have been delayed.Info from Gamespot.com

Following the murder of George Floyd in the US, many companies--including game publishers and storefronts--have expressed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, and have delayed events such as the PlayStation 5 reveal, EA Play, and the start of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 4. There's been a notable exception, though--Valve, the owner of the Steam storefront, has not said a thing. Although a "Black Voices in Gaming" list was visible on Steam during the Guerrilla Collective streams, which were also postponed, Valve is yet to comment officially in any capacity. In the wake of Valve's silence, gamesindustry.biz is reporting that several indie developers have pulled their games from the storefront. Julian Glander, the developer of Art Sqool, says that his game is no longer available on the storefront, and that he is unlikely to every publish on Steam again. In the tweet below, he posts his full reasoning.tonight i pulled all my games from @steam and i don't see myself publishing with them ever again. i urge other indie devs to join me pic.twitter.com/JrtmdiGOdQ — Julian Glander (@glanderco) June 12, 2020"Over the past few weeks, Steam and Valve have chosen not to address the Black Lives Matter movement, failing to make even a broad and generic statement about social justice," his request to remove his games from sale reads. "It's than ever that the owners of this platform feel beholden to a base of angry white male gamers."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Another detail about EA's newly announced Star Wars dogfighting game has been confirmed. Creative director Ian Frazier said on Twitter that Star Wars: Squadrons will support flight stick controllers on PC.Frazier said to a fan, "Yes, we fully support joystick on PC, including full HOTAS rigs with a throttle."HOTAS stands for "hands on throttle and stick." The takeaway here is that PC players who want to live the fantasy of being a fighter pilot in space can get one step closer with special controllers on PC.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Think Counter-Strike with hero elements. That's the elevator pitch for Valorant, Riot Games' debut on the competitive first-person shooter scene. I say that not to disparage Valorant, though. In fact, that's what I love most about it, especially since it executes on the formula extremely well. Valorant thrives because of tight, tactical gameplay and a mix of character-based abilities that provide a necessary strategic layer. Although it's a slim package with limited features and barren presentation, Valorant has the potential to be great.The core mode of Valorant revolves around five-on-five matches in a best of 25 rounds with two teams of attackers and defenders of bomb sites, switching sides about halfway through. The stakes are high as everyone gets only one life per round, and the focus on precise gunplay with low time-to-kill leaves little margin for error. Teams must account for buying guns, armor, and ability charges based on money allocated (depending on performance) on a per-round basis. In turn, each round maintains a high level of intensity as the tide of advantage can shift at any moment.Agents introduce an essential X-factor to the mix with their unique abilities as well. While it's easy to compare them to heroes/classes from other games, Valorant's Agent abilities function more like gear in a loadout. Two are subject to limited uses per round (but thankfully carry over even if you're killed) while a default ability subject to cooldown or replenish upon kills. Knowing how and when to execute these abilities, including Ultimates that can come in clutch, is key especially for highly competitive matches.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Quantic Dream's last three games have been available on PC since 2019, but were previously exclusive to the Epic Games Store. Now, ahead of the full releases of Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human on June 18, the studio has put out a demo for each game on their new Steam storefront.Known for its highly-cinematic approach to the adventure game genre--as well as its outspoken founder David Cage--Quantic Dream's games were previously exclusive to PlayStation platforms, since they were published by Sony. Last year, however, the studio announced that its future games will be self-published, giving it the freedom to release its back catalog on PC. In that announcement last year, Quantic Dream's co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière indicated that the Epic Games Store's revenue-sharing model, which gives 88% to the developer, rather than the 70% that Steam offers, was a key part of its decision to go Epic-exclusive.Detroit: Become Human was released in May 2018 as a PlayStation 4-exclusive. It was generally well-received and it set sales records.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Just like first-party games, Nintendo Switch accessories tend to stay around full price outside of major sales like Black Friday, but right now, Pokemon fans can snag one handy accessory for a fraction of the price. Nintendo's Poke Ball Plus normally sells for $50, but this week at Best Buy, you can buy it for just $20. This is the same price the Poke Ball Plus was during Black Friday, and it didn't stay in stock for long, so if you've been waiting for the price to drop, now's the time to grab it.6478501 - Poke Ball Plus Deal 6.15.20 - Best Buy Poke Ball Plus $20 at Best Buy The Poke Ball Plus accessory is small and fits easily into the palm of your hand, with a wrist strap to secure it. It's compatible with Pokemon Go, allowing you to play without checking your phone. When a Pokemon is nearby, the Poke Ball Plus will light up and vibrate. You can press a button to throw a virtual Poke Ball, and different LED light patterns will let you know if you've caught the Pokemon. The Poke Ball Plus also counts your steps so you can hatch eggs and gather candy for your Pokemon.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

If you drop into a normal game of Fortnite: Battle Royale right now you'll find The Agency, the center piece for the games' second season, in pieces. It was blown up during today's special event, The Device, but many players didn't get to see it happen.Servers for The Device filled up soon after opening at 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET, meaning players who couldn't get in had to watch on Twitch or YouTube. Epic Games had warned players to come 30 minutes early, but even those that tried weren't guaranteed a spot.Players who missed the event are sounding off on Twitter, upset because of the limited capacity. Previous events like the Travis Scott concert was less restrictive, mainly because it had multiple showtimes spread across a weekend. The Device event was also delayed multiple times, most recently due to the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted across the country. Many were surprised that they wouldn't be able to attend at all after the additional delay.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Blankos Block Party, the debut title from developer Mythical Games, is set to have an invite-only beta test sometime this August. Toy enthusiasts interested in participating in the party MMO can sign-up for a free Mythical account and join the Discord channel, where the studio will provide more information on how to join the PC beta.In addition to announcing the upcoming beta test, Mythical shared a brand-new trailer for Blankos Block Party. The trailer, below, shows the many activities you can get into, from racing other players to dancing around the server and much more. In short, Blankos Block Party combines the free-flowing gameplay of both Fortnite and Roblox with the aesthetic charm of a Funko Pop vinyl toy come to life.You can also construct your own environments in Blankos Block Party and share them with other players around the world. These world-building tools allow you to create games that have their own rules. And anything you earn or purchase, from the cute chibi figures that are the Blankos to player-created levels, is yours to keep.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

When an event is billed as the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" before the match even happens, something is amiss. For weeks now, WWE has been hyping that the blood feud between Randy Orton and recently unretired Hall of Famer Edge would culminate in the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" at their Backlash pay-per-view.Backlash came and went, but Orton and Edge were disserved by their own company. Their match was everything fans could want, and actually a highlight of both men's careers. With that type of moniker attached, though, not only does it do a disservice to so many more matches that might be more deserving of that title, but two the two men involved in this bout, as well.WWE brought in legends and icons like Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, and Ric Flair to try to explain why this match could live up the marketing and hype surrounding it. The problem is they couldn't, which is unfortunate for talents like Edge, who is already a Hall of Famer, and Orton, who is a retirement speech away from his own induction. WWE booked them into a corner over--what, exactly? It has been reported that Vince McMahon feels as though the roster is lacking star power so instead of this match taking place at SummerSlam, it was pushed forward to Backlash and marketed in this manner to get people's eyes on the product.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Niantic is investigating an issue that appears to be resulting in improper bans in Pokemon Go. Players have been complaining of receiving bans, and the community has been trying to piece together common traits for those being impacted by the problem.Eurogamer reports that the popular Pokemon Go subreddit TheSilphRoad has been populated with several threads documenting the bans. Users have been reaching out to sites about the problem, including GameSpot. Niantic has now issued a statement regarding the bans, saying it is looking into the issue.Players believe the problem is impacting those using iOS 12, with some reportedly claiming they've been experiencing bans for months. Most players are hit with a seven-day "soft" ban, which is given as a warning to players using modified software. This doesn't disable play altogether, but it does impact the level of rarity you can catch. If you rack up enough of these offenses, it could result in a longer ban or a deactivation of your account altogether.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Father's Day is coming up this weekend, and if you're looking for a gift for dad, then Amazon has an excellent deal on the Apple Watch Series 5. The 40mm version of the Apple Watch Series 5 is down to $300--that's a $100 discount, making this a particularly great opportunity to snag something nice for your dad. It's unclear how long this Apple Watch deal will last, so if you're interested, you should buy it as soon as you can. It comes with free Prime shipping and can arrive within a couple of days, depending on your location.6478509 - Father's Day Deal - Apple Watch Apple Watch Series 5 $299 at Amazon Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The 93rd Academy Awards will be held in 2021, but they won't occupy their traditional February spot on the calendar. Instead, Variety reports, the Oscars have been officially pushed back from February 28 to April 25, due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.The rescheduling has also affected the submission deadlines for various categories. Feature films will qualify if submitted between January 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021. Special categories, such as animated features, will need to be submitted by December 1, 2020. Nominations will be officially announced on March 15, 2021.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Fortnite: Battle Royale's special in-game event, The Device, has finally happened. Midas activated his special weapon causing a storm that destroyed The Agency and submerged most of the map under a giant wall of water. That's all we know until Season 3 kicks off on June 17.Those moments in Fortnite's latest live event were great, but they aren't as important as what happened in between them. As the map was getting decimated by the huge wall of water, players were given quick glimpses of an office somewhere else in the game. These short bits gave us more info about the world of Fortnite than any previous event.Players got to walk around the office, which appears to belong to Fortnite's trademark blonde guy Jonesy, with the camera in first person (if you looked down you could see whichever skin you have equipped). The walls were decorated with pictures of Jonesy and what appear to be other characters from Fortnite: Save the World's cast, although it's not exactly clear who they are. Files labeled "top secret" with images of Midas and other characters were laying on the desk.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Nintendo Switch has been difficult to find in stock as of late, but it's not the only key Nintendo product you might have trouble buying right now. Joy-Cons, the system's standard controllers, are seemingly sold out everywhere, at least in the US--and that's a real problem if you're one of the many Switch owners dealing with drifting issues.The video game industry has seen incredible sales in the first half of the year, as the coronavirus drove people indoors and in need of ways to pass the time. The NPD Group reported that video game industry sales in the US during April were up a whopping 73% compared to the same period last year, which is all the more remarkable when considering that a new generation of consoles will soon be here. Switch has been a particularly hot item, with NPD saying its year-to-date hardware sales through April are the highest for any console ever.Accessory sales were also way up: The April record for controllers was almost doubled, with PS4's DualShock 4 and the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller leading the way. But whereas you can pick up a PS4 or Xbox One controller with little issue, the same can't be said for Switch Joy-Cons. Head to the online retailer of your choice, and you'll find one of two things: a "sold out" notice or exorbitant prices from third-party resellers. It mirrors the same thing we've seen with Switch itself, as we've been tracking for the past few months.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Invisible, Inc., the turn-based stealth game about tactical espionage, is out today on Nintendo Switch, developer Klei announced in a tweet.The Nintendo Switch edition includes the full game plus the Contingency Plan DLC for $20 USD. This edition also features adjusted text size to ensure readability whether you're playing docked or in handheld mode.Continuing our news for the day, Invisible Inc Nintendo Switch Edition is available now!Includes the original game + the Contingency Plan expansion DLC all in one!https://t.co/y1NaKTaY6X#InvisibleInc #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/8KPw0l8Did — Klei (@klei) June 15, 2020In GameSpot's Invisible, Inc. Console Edition review, Kevin VanOrd gave the game an 8/10, writing, "It's tense and challenging, yes, but Invisible Inc. is also simple, elegant, and always logical. It introduces new concepts in a slow drip, giving you plenty of time to work out the details. The titular spy agency is violently infiltrated, initiating a time-sensitive series of global heists and sneakabouts, each of which you control from an isometric perspective in the style of strategy games like XCOM."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com