Tag Archives: Arts & Entertainment

Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings stealthy mayhem to feudal Japan on November 15

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Assassin's Creed Shadows will be available globally on November 15. The latest iteration of the historical murder sim will be playable on a bunch of devices, including PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store. It’ll also be available for Apple silicon Mac computers right at launch, which is something of a rarity, and on cloud gaming platforms like Amazon Luna and Ubisoft+.

If the name sounds unfamiliar, the game used to be called Assassin’s Creed Codename Red and it’s been in development since at least 2022. It’s set in feudal Japan and the developer promises “a very different type of Assassin’s Creed game.” Ubisoft Quebec is leading work on the project, suggesting it could resemble something like the expansive Assassin's Creed Odyssey more than the streamlined Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

It’s hard to make out any major gameplay changes from the trailer, as it’s primarily cinematics. The vibes seem pretty cool though. Also, 16th-century Japan is one heck of a great setting. Here’s hoping Ubisoft nails it. The game features two playable characters, a samurai and a shinobi assassin. Each has unique playstyles, with the assassin Naoe favoring stealth and the samurai Yasuke preferring brute force.

Assassin's Creed Shadows will also be playable a bit early for Ubisoft+ subscribers, on November 12. It’ll be available in the usual array of editions. The standard version costs $70, which has somehow become the new normal price for AAA games. The Gold Edition costs $110 and nets players a season pass for DLC, a bonus quest and early access to the game on November 12, just like Ubisoft+ subscribers.

The Ultimate Edition costs $130 and includes everything just mentioned, plus a red and black photo filter and some character skins. Finally, the Collector’s Edition comes in at a jaw-dropping $280 and adds some nifty physical trinkets, including a SteelBook case, a paper world map, figurines of the main characters, a large art book, two lithographs and more. Ubisoft promises another trailer in June that will focus on gameplay.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/assassins-creed-shadows-brings-stealthy-mayhem-to-feudal-japan-on-november-15-180139119.html?src=rss

Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings stealthy mayhem to feudal Japan on November 15

Posted on by

Assassin's Creed Shadows will be available globally on November 15. The latest iteration of the historical murder sim will be playable on a bunch of devices, including PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store. It’ll also be available for Apple silicon Mac computers right at launch, which is something of a rarity, and on cloud gaming platforms like Amazon Luna and Ubisoft+.

If the name sounds unfamiliar, the game used to be called Assassin’s Creed Codename Red and it’s been in development since at least 2022. It’s set in feudal Japan and the developer promises “a very different type of Assassin’s Creed game.” Ubisoft Quebec is leading work on the project, suggesting it could resemble something like the expansive Assassin's Creed Odyssey more than the streamlined Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

It’s hard to make out any major gameplay changes from the trailer, as it’s primarily cinematics. The vibes seem pretty cool though. Also, 16th-century Japan is one heck of a great setting. Here’s hoping Ubisoft nails it. The game features two playable characters, a samurai and a shinobi assassin. Each has unique playstyles, with the assassin Naoe favoring stealth and the samurai Yasuke preferring brute force.

Assassin's Creed Shadows will also be playable a bit early for Ubisoft+ subscribers, on November 12. It’ll be available in the usual array of editions. The standard version costs $70, which has somehow become the new normal price for AAA games. The Gold Edition costs $110 and nets players a season pass for DLC, a bonus quest and early access to the game on November 12, just like Ubisoft+ subscribers.

The Ultimate Edition costs $130 and includes everything just mentioned, plus a red and black photo filter and some character skins. Finally, the Collector’s Edition comes in at a jaw-dropping $280 and adds some nifty physical trinkets, including a SteelBook case, a paper world map, figurines of the main characters, a large art book, two lithographs and more. Ubisoft promises another trailer in June that will focus on gameplay.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/assassins-creed-shadows-brings-stealthy-mayhem-to-feudal-japan-on-november-15-180139119.html?src=rss

Tamagotchi collectors rejoice: Bandai is finally rereleasing a beloved model from 2004

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Another classic Tamagotchi is getting the reboot treatment. Bandai announced this week that it’s bringing back the Tamagotchi Connection to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the toy’s release. Tamagotchi Connection, which first came out in 2004, was a pivotal entry to the virtual pet family, introducing more modern capabilities like infrared pairing so two devices could link up. There were several versions over the course of the subsequent decade, but v3 brought the beloved shell design the Connection family has become known for: the recognizable Tamagotchi egg, but with a faux antenna attached. This is the style Bandai is resurrecting.

Pre-orders are now open in the US for the Tamagotchi Connection in six colors: Bubbles (light blue), Ice Cream (pink), Rainbow Sky, the multicolored Clear Retro, and Blue and Pink Graffiti. They’re $30 each, or you can get the two Graffiti shells as a pair for $58. As usual, some additional, even cuter shells appear to be coming out in Japan. 

While the new Connection revives the v3 design, it looks like the gameplay will combine elements of a few models from the pre-color era rather than just the one, or even add some new touches. Per the materials that have been released so far, the toy will feature more than 50 characters and come with 150 in-game items to collect. Some items will be unlockable by finding passwords. And the devices will, of course, be able to connect to one another.

There are still a lot of questions about what else the new Connection will offer — especially when considering the original v3 was the first internationally released Tamagotchi to connect to a companion website, the now-defunct TamaTown. Bandai hasn’t said anything at this point about launching something similar (though eagle-eyed fans speculate it may be in the cards based on a recent trademark filing), but a girl can dream. The rerelease of Tamagotchi Connection is huge in and of itself, though; fans have been asking for exactly this for years, and now it’s actually happening.

Tamagotchi Connection pictured in six colors: Bubbles (light blue), Ice Cream (pink), Rainbow Sky, the multicolored Clear Retro, and Blue and Pink Graffiti
Bandai
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tamagotchi-collectors-rejoice-bandai-is-finally-rereleasing-a-beloved-model-from-2004-164645733.html?src=rss

Tamagotchi collectors rejoice: Bandai is finally rereleasing a beloved model from 2004

Posted on by

Another classic Tamagotchi is getting the reboot treatment. Bandai announced this week that it’s bringing back the Tamagotchi Connection to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the toy’s release. Tamagotchi Connection, which first came out in 2004, was a pivotal entry to the virtual pet family, introducing more modern capabilities like infrared pairing so two devices could link up. There were several versions over the course of the subsequent decade, but v3 brought the beloved shell design the Connection family has become known for: the recognizable Tamagotchi egg, but with a faux antenna attached. This is the style Bandai is resurrecting.

Pre-orders are now open in the US for the Tamagotchi Connection in six colors: Bubbles (light blue), Ice Cream (pink), Rainbow Sky, the multicolored Clear Retro, and Blue and Pink Graffiti. They’re $30 each, or you can get the two Graffiti shells as a pair for $58. As usual, some additional, even cuter shells appear to be coming out in Japan. 

While the new Connection revives the v3 design, it looks like the gameplay will combine elements of a few models from the pre-color era rather than just the one, or even add some new touches. Per the materials that have been released so far, the toy will feature more than 50 characters and come with 150 in-game items to collect. Some items will be unlockable by finding passwords. And the devices will, of course, be able to connect to one another.

There are still a lot of questions about what else the new Connection will offer — especially when considering the original v3 was the first internationally released Tamagotchi to connect to a companion website, the now-defunct TamaTown. Bandai hasn’t said anything at this point about launching something similar (though eagle-eyed fans speculate it may be in the cards based on a recent trademark filing), but a girl can dream. The rerelease of Tamagotchi Connection is huge in and of itself, though; fans have been asking for exactly this for years, and now it’s actually happening.

Tamagotchi Connection pictured in six colors: Bubbles (light blue), Ice Cream (pink), Rainbow Sky, the multicolored Clear Retro, and Blue and Pink Graffiti
Bandai
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tamagotchi-collectors-rejoice-bandai-is-finally-rereleasing-a-beloved-model-from-2004-164645733.html?src=rss

The first Dune: Prophecy teaser takes the action back by 10,000 years

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This week, streaming services are joining linear networks in revealing some of the projects they've got coming up in an attempt to win over advertisers. After Prime Video stepped up to the plate on Tuesday, it was Warner Bros. Discovery's turn at bat on Wednesday. The company surprised many by dropping a teaser trailer for Dune: Prophecy, a six-episode Dune prequel series that's coming to Max this fall.

The spinoff is set 10,000 years before the events of the Dune movies. It follows two Harkonnen sisters who tackle a threat to humanity while setting up the sisterhood that will eventually become the Bene Gesserit. Dune: Prophecy is based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

The series stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May and the always-great Mark Strong. The trailer makes the show look suitably large in scope, though you'll need to wait a few more months for it to arrive.

In the meantime, you'll soon be able to watch Dune: Part Two on Max (though we recommend catching this butt-kicking epic on a giant screen if it's still showing in a theater near you). The sequel is coming to the streaming service next week, on May 21.

In addition, it might be too early for a trailer for the second season of The Last of Us, though WBD has released the first official images. The shots of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) don't give much away, but fans of the second game in the series might recognize those fairy lights behind Joel's magnificent mane. The Last of Us will return on HBO and Max in 2025, hopefully on January 1.

Joel (Pedro Pascal) in The Last of Us season two.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in The Last of Us season two.
Warner Bros. Discovery

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-first-dune-prophecy-teaser-takes-the-action-back-by-10000-years-152911407.html?src=rss

The first Dune: Prophecy teaser takes the action back by 10,000 years

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This week, streaming services are joining linear networks in revealing some of the projects they've got coming up in an attempt to win over advertisers. After Prime Video stepped up to the plate on Tuesday, it was Warner Bros. Discovery's turn at bat on Wednesday. The company surprised many by dropping a teaser trailer for Dune: Prophecy, a six-episode Dune prequel series that's coming to Max this fall.

The spinoff is set 10,000 years before the events of the Dune movies. It follows two Harkonnen sisters who tackle a threat to humanity while setting up the sisterhood that will eventually become the Bene Gesserit. Dune: Prophecy is based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

The series stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May and the always-great Mark Strong. The trailer makes the show look suitably large in scope, though you'll need to wait a few more months for it to arrive.

In the meantime, you'll soon be able to watch Dune: Part Two on Max (though we recommend catching this butt-kicking epic on a giant screen if it's still showing in a theater near you). The sequel is coming to the streaming service next week, on May 21.

In addition, it might be too early for a trailer for the second season of The Last of Us, though WBD has released the first official images. The shots of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) don't give much away, but fans of the second game in the series might recognize those fairy lights behind Joel's magnificent mane. The Last of Us will return on HBO and Max in 2025, hopefully on January 1.

Joel (Pedro Pascal) in The Last of Us season two.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in The Last of Us season two.
Warner Bros. Discovery

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-first-dune-prophecy-teaser-takes-the-action-back-by-10000-years-152911407.html?src=rss

Google unveils Veo and Imagen 3, its latest AI media creation models

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It's all AI all the time at Google I/O! Today, Google announced its new AI media creation engines: Veo, which can produce "high-quality" 1080p videos; and Imagen 3, its latest text-to-image framework. Neither sound particularly revolutionary, but they're a way for Google to keep up the fight against OpenAI's Sora video model and Dall-E 3, a tool that has practically become synonymous with AI-generated images.

Google claims Veo has "an advanced understanding of natural language and visual semantics" to create whatever video you have in mind. The AI generated videos can last "beyond a minute." Veo is also capable of understanding cinematic and visual techniques, like the concept of a timelapse. But really, that should be table stakes for an AI video generation model, right?

To prove that Veo isn't out to steal artist's jobs, Google has also partnered with Donald Glover and Gilga, his creative studio, to show off the model's capabilities. In a very brief promotional video, we see Glover and crew using text to create video of a convertible arriving at a European home, and a sailboat gliding through the ocean. According to Google, Veo can simulate real-world physics better than its previous models, and it's also improved how it renders high-definition footage.

"Everybody's going to become a director, and everybody should be a director," Glover says in the video, absolutely earning his Google paycheck. "At the heart of all of this is just storytelling. The closer we are to be able to tell each other our stories, the more we'll understand each other."

It remains to be seen if anyone will actually want to watch AI generated video, outside of the morbid curiosity of seeing a machine attempt to algorithmically recreate the work of human artists. But that's not stopping Google or OpenAI from promoting these tools and hoping they'll be useful (or at least, make a bunch of money). Veo will be available inside of Google's VideoFX tool today for some creators, and the company says it'll also be coming to YouTube Shorts and other products. If Veo does end up becoming a built-in part of YouTube Shorts, that's at least one feature Google can lord over TikTok.

Google IO 2024
Google

As for Imagen 3, Google is making the usual promises: It's said to be the company's "highest quality" text-to-image model, with "incredible level of detail" for "photorealistic, lifelike images" and fewer artifacts. The real test, of course, will be to see how it handles prompts compared to Dall-E 3. Imagen 3 handles text better than before, Google says, and it's also smarter about handling details from long prompts.

Google is also working with recording artists like Wyclef Jean and Bjorn to test out its Music AI Sandbox, a set of tools that can help with song and beat creation. We only saw a brief glimpse of this, but it's led to a few intriguing demos: 

The sun rises and sets. We're all slowly dying. And AI is getting smarter by the day. That seems to be the big takeaway from Google's latest media creation tools. Of course they're getting better! Google is pouring billions into making the dream of AI a reality, all in a bid to own the next great leap for computing. Will any of this actually make our lives better? Will they ever be able to generate art with genuine soul? Check back at Google I/O every year until AGI actually appears, or our civilization collapses.

Catch up on all the news from Google I/O 2024 right here!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-unveils-veo-and-imagen-3-its-latest-ai-media-creation-models-173617373.html?src=rss

A Tomb Raider series from Phoebe Waller-Bridge is on the way to Prime Video

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Amazon's Prime Video is riding a high after the success of Fallout and it has more video game-related projects lined up. The streaming service has ordered a Tomb Raider series with Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag fame set as writer and executive producer. The show was rumored to be happening as far back as January 2023 and now it's official.

“If I could tell my teenage self this was happening I think she’d explode. Tomb Raider has been a huge part of my life and I feel incredibly privileged to be bringing it to television with such passionate collaborators," Waller-Bridge said in a statement. "Lara Croft means a lot to me, as she does to many, and I can’t wait to go on this adventure. Bats ‘n all."

Few other details about the "epic, globetrotting" project have been revealed (it's not yet known who's playing Lara Croft, for one thing), though it stems from a deal between Amazon MGM Studios and Crystal Dynamics to develop shows and movies based on Tomb Raider. There's no release window for the series as yet, but Amazon says it will premiere in more than 240 countries and territories. The company's games division is also publishing Crystal Dynamics' next Lara Croft adventure, while a long-awaited animated Tomb Raider series is slated to hit Netflix this year.

Prime Video has also lined up a docuseries about EA's blockbuster Madden NFL games. EA Sports will open up its vault of rare and unreleased footage for the project. A documentary crew will follow the development of the next game in the series.

These are just some of the many announcements that Prime Video is making today as it tries to win over advertisers at its upfront event. A pop culture version of Jeopardy! is on the way to the service, which will host its first NFL Wild Card Playoff game in January. A Legally Blonde prequel series called is coming too.

Elsewhere, Prime Video renewed its hit show The Boys for a fifth season, announced a live-action Spider-Man Noir show starring Nicolas Cage and revealed the first trailer and release date for the second season of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. In addition, a documentary following the last 12 days of Roger Federer’s professional tennis career is coming to Prime Video on June 20.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-tomb-raider-series-from-phoebe-waller-bridge-is-on-the-way-to-prime-video-153636273.html?src=rss

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power trailer reveals season two release date

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Amazon's Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was both extremely successful and extremely divisive in the LOTR fan community. (Separate question, has any recent adaptation or new content in a beloved franchise not been divisive? Thoughts for another time.) Lots of people whined about how Amazon should just trash the first season and start over, but clearly that was never going to happen. What is happening is that season two of The Rings of Power has its first trailer and an August 29 release date.

I'm a pretty big Lord of the Rings fan and found season one enjoyable if not essential, but I like the looks of how things are ratcheting up here for season two. We get plenty of teases of epic battles and creepy creatures as Sauron reveals himself and begins to tighten the noose on all of Middle-earth; there are also looks at him in his "fair" form as he forges the titular Rings of Power with Celebrimbor. 

Amazon says the first three episodes will arrive on August 29, with subsequent entries following every week. Like the first season, this one will consist of eight episodes total. 

This announcement comes less than a week after Warner Bros. Discovery announced it would release a new live-action Lord of the Rings film in theaters in 2026. Tentatively titled The Hunt for Gollum, the film is directed by and will star Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. That project will be set in the same universe that Jackson built, while Amazon's series is an entirely separate entity. There is some shared DNA, though — the first season of The Rings of Power was shot in New Zealand, like Jackson's films, and composer Howard Shore wrote the main credits theme for Amazon's show after scoring all six of the Middle-earth films. 

Oh, and Lego just dropped this incredible Barad-Dur set — it's a big week for Lord of the Rings across the board!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-trailer-reveals-season-two-release-date-142522261.html?src=rss

28 Years Later is coming to theaters next summer

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Fans have been waiting a long, long time for another installment in the 28 Days Later franchise, and we now know when the next followup is coming out: June 20, 2025. Per Variety, Sony Pictures announced the release date for the upcoming film 28 Years Later on Friday. It would have been kind of cool if it were timed with the original film’s actual 28th anniversary in 2030, considering how close we are to that now (horrifying, I know), but I can't blame them for not keeping people hanging even longer.

28 Days Later, starring Cillian Murphy in what turned out to be his breakout role, came out in 2002, and was followed by a sequel with a different cast, 28 Weeks Later, in 2007. There were at one point murmurs of plans for 28 Months Later, but it looks like we’re skipping over that. The new film will be directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, who both helmed the first movie, The Hollywood Reporter reported earlier this year. Murphy will be among its executive producers, according to Variety, but don’t get your hopes up for seeing him in a starring role. As of now, it doesn't seem like that’ll be the case.

We don’t know anything about the plot yet, but 28 Years Later will reportedly star Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes. And it could be the first of three new movies in the franchise. According to THR, the plan is ultimately for a trilogy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/28-years-later-is-coming-to-theaters-next-summer-171831988.html?src=rss