The Last Days of American Crime is now streaming on Netflix.
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After almost a decade of development, The Last Days of American Crime, based on Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini’s graphic novel, is finally a feature film – though, ultimately, a hollow and unwelcome one.
A huge argument could be made that this was the absolute wrong time for this film given its thematic adjacency to The Purge (though with a fraction of that franchise’s actual messaging) but The Last Days of American Crime is also overlong, grimly vacant, and an outright chore to watch. Michael Pitt’s crazed crook is enjoyable at times, as Pitt is often able to turn in eccentric-yet-nuanced performances, but the other characters are bitter, terse, and uninteresting.
Directed by Taken 2 and 3’s Olivier Megaton, the film looks slick. The money’s on the screen. The action is satisfactory, but if you’re in the mood for a shoot’ em up with thin characters then Netflix’s Extraction will provide a bigger and better bang. The Last Days of American Crime has a better (dystopian) hook, but it completely fails to capitalize on any of the themes and issues it introduces. The “police state/thought control” elements only exist as a backdrop for Édgar Ramírez’s brooding bank robber, Graham Bricke, and nothing more.
In the near future, America has devolved into a police state on the precipice of unleashing a country-wide signal against its captive citizens that will prevent them from being able to break the law. The police are exempt from this, and a week before the sound waves are released, the nation is a crazed wasteland of lawlessness. Most everyone, it seems, is attempting to exercise their free will before it’s coldly taken away from them by the government. Bricke, one of the best thieves in the business, is all broken up not just because he and his kind are done for but also because of the death of his brother, who he’s told took his own life in prison. Bricke is basically given the bare bones of generic action (anti)hero. He’s the “responsible” one. He sulks. He loves his brother (who we barely spend time with). And that’s pretty much it.
Naturally, action leads don’t have to be the most dynamic part of their movie, but this film doesn’t compensate for Bricke’s blandness anywhere else. Michael Pitt’s Kevin, the moody son of a crime lord, is the only interesting thing to watch here as Kevin, and his main squeeze Shelby (Anna Brewster), convince Bricke to help them steal a billion bucks right as the clock turns 1984 and no one’s able to jaywalk much less steal – making it the final great heist in American history.
The premise is interesting enough that you can see why people have been trying to adapt it into a movie since 2009, but this is nothing more than a flavorless heist flick that grossly wastes its grander, darker ideas.
And then there’s Sharlto Copley’s character, which goes absolutely nowhere. As seemingly the only cop left in the world who still cares about helping people, Copley’s Sawyer feels like he might be an important piece of the puzzle. We watch him in a separate story for most of the movie, as he’s looked down on by his fellow officers and possibly seeks redemption for a past misdeed. But when Sawyer finally intersects with the rest of the narrative in the third act, we get nothing. It might as well have been a random character who enters the mix.
At two and a half hours, The Last Days of American Crime is bloated and boring. Yes, of course an argument could be made that it’s not exactly an auspicious moment for a movie about America collapsing into a (slightly sci-fi) fascist state but it’s an even worse time for a film that has absolutely nothing to say beyond that and instead focuses on a vendetta and love triangle among the ruins.
Nintendo and Game Freak are releasing two big DLC expansions for Pokemon Sword and Shield this year: The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. The former will release on June 17 while the latter is slated to follow this fall, and each will introduce a wealth of additional content to the titles, including new gameplay features, locations, characters, storylines, and even Pokemon.
Since the expansions were announced earlier this year, The Pokemon Company has been gradually revealing more details about Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra in the lead up to their launch. To help get you up to speed on the upcoming DLC, we’ve rounded up everything we know so far about Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra below.
Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra are bundled together as part of the Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass, which is available through the Switch Eshop for $30 USD / £27. The expansions cannot be purchased individually. Each game also requires its own Expansion Pass, so if you own both Sword and Shield, you’ll need to purchase the pass for each version if you’re hoping to access the new content in both titles.
Early Purchase Bonuses
You’ll receive a few free bonus items for pre-purchasing the Expansion Pass. First, you’ll get an exclusive Pikachu uniform and Eevee uniform for your trainer. If you purchase the Expansion Pass before August 31, you’ll also receive clothing items based on Leon’s cap and tights.
Leon’s cap and tights
Confirmed Returning Pokemon
As previously mentioned, Game Freak is bringing back an assortment of old Pokemon alongside each expansion. These monsters are being added as free updates, so you don’t need to purchase the Expansion Pass to get them; you’ll be able to receive the Pokemon through trades or import them via Pokemon Home even if you don’t pick up the expansions. However, the returning Pokemon can only be encountered in the wild if you own the Expansion Pass.
In total, more than 200 old Pokemon will be added to Sword and Shield, including practically every Legendary from previous games. You can see all the returning Pokemon that have been confirmed so far below:
On top of all the returning Pokemon, each expansion introduces a handful of new Pokemon to the games. Chief among these are two new Legendaries: Kubfu, the mascot of Isle of Armor; and Calyrex, the mascot of The Crown Tundra.
Galarian Slowpoke
The expansions introduce new forms of some older Pokemon as well, including Galarian variants of Slowpoke, Slowbro, and Slowking, as well as Gigantamax versions of Venusaur and Blastoise. The Pokemon Company has also shown off Galarian forms of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, as well as two new Regis: the Electric-type Regieleki and the Dragon-type Regidrago.
Isle Of Armor Characters And Storyline
The Isle of Armor expansion takes place on the titular island, which lies off the coast of Galar proper. The isle is home to a Pokemon dojo, where aspiring trainers learn under the tutelage of an old man named Mustard, who is the longest-reigning champion in Galar history and Leon’s former mentor.
Early in your adventure on the Isle of Armor, Mustard will gift you the Legendary Pokemon Kubfu, which you’ll be able to raise into Urshifu after conquering one of two towers on the island: the Tower of Darkness or the Tower of Waters. Which tower you challenge will determine how Kubfu evolves. If you complete the Tower of Darkness, Kubfu will evolve into Single Strike Style Urshifu, a Fighting/Dark type; if you complete the Tower of Waters, Kubfu will instead become Rapid Strike Style Urshifu, a Fighting/Water type.
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During your adventure on the Isle of Armor, you’ll also meet a new rival. This character will differ depending on which version of the game you own. Sword players will meet Klara, a deceptively cunning Poison-type trainer, while Shield players will encounter Avery, a gentlemanly Psychic-type trainer.
The Crown Tundra Characters And Storyline
The second expansion for Sword and Shield takes place in the eponymous Crown Tundra, a mountainous region blanketed in snow. According to The Pokemon Company, the theme of this expansion is “exploration.” Players will be appointed leader of an exploration team by “a certain person” and will be tasked with investigating the area.
Calyrex
Beyond that, not much else is currently known about The Crown Tundra expansion, but players will encounter the Legendary Calyrex during their adventure. Calyrex is a Grass/Psychic type that ruled over the Galar region in ancient times. Little has been revealed about the Legendary, but it is said to be omniscient and can “see every past, present, and future event.”
Gigantamax Starters
During your journey on the Isle of Armor, your starter Pokemon from Sword and Shield–Rillaboom, Cinderace, or Inteleon–will gain the ability to Gigantamax. Like other Gigantamax Pokemon, each will have a unique appearance and G-Max move. Rillaboom’s is called G-Max Drum Solo; Cinderace’s is G-Max Fireball; and Inteleon’s is G-Max Hydro Snipe. Each of these attacks deals more damage than a typical Dynamax move and ignores the opposing Pokemon’s Ability.
Gigantamax Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon
The Kanto starters Venusaur and Blastoise will also receive Gigantamax forms in Isle of Armor. Each likewise has its own unique G-Max move. Gigantamax Venusaur’s attack is called G-Max Vine Lash, and it damages non-Grass-type foes for four turns. Gigantamax Blastoise, meanwhile, is able to use G-Max Cannonade, which similarly damages non-Water-type opponents for four turns.
New Features And Items
In addition to the new Pokemon and locations, each expansion will introduce some new gameplay mechanics to Sword and Shield. The Pokemon Company hasn’t revealed too many details about these as of yet, but we know that The Crown Tundra will let you explore Pokemon Dens with other players.
Each expansion will also add new clothes, League Card customization options, and different looks for your bike. There will be other new items in each expansion as well. The Isle of Armor will bring back Apricorns, which can be crafted into different kinds of Poke Balls, and it introduces a new item called the Exp. Charm that will earn more experience points for your team.
Netflix’s The Witcher season 2 could resume filming soon, as production studios in the UK are starting to open their doors again.
Deadline reports that Arborfield Studios, which was one of the first production studios to shut down in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, is preparing to reopen for business in the coming weeks.
Arborfield Studios’ managing director Bob Terry confirmed that work is “underway to reopen the site,” as the UK government recently approved a new mandate of safety protocols in relation to film and television productions, outlining rules around physical distancing, safety training, and temperature tests.
The Guardian notes that these new guidelines, compiled by the British Film Commission and the British Film Institute, will enable some film and television shoots to take their first steps back into production. However, it will be up to each individual production to decide how, and when, to restart filming; Netflix has not given any official word on its position as of yet.
“This is a green light that signals that the UK is open for business again for film and high-end TV production,” an industry source told the outlet. “Many productions have to get up and running again in the next two months or they won’t get made this year as they rely on summer weather and conditions.”
If the year 2020 had been a usual year, we’d all be gearing up for E3 right now. Since things are decidedly different, there is no E3 (check out our Summer of Gaming event instead), but Microsoft is keeping up its tradition of an E3-adjacent sale event. One of the most popular deals going on is the $299.99 special edition 1TB Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One X, but it’s already gone from Walmart and GameStop.
It’s similar to Sony’s Days of Play sale in a lot of ways, but I personally feel the Xbox sale is the better of the two just because Game Pass Ultimate is such a great value. But I’m not going to get into any arguments over PlayStation vs. Xbox because I think they both rule and if you prefer one over the other that’s your deal and who am I to question what you’ve decided you like?
As far as total volume of deals, Best Buy currently leads the pack, but there are still deals to be had elsewhere if you’d rather buy from another retailer.
In response to the global protests following the death of George Floyd, many games, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and NBA 2K20, have added in-game Black Lives Matter tributes.
The message reads “Black Lives Matter. Our community is hurting. The systemic inequalities our community experiences are once again center stage. Call of Duty and Infinity Ward stand for equality and inclusion. We stand against the racism and injustice our Black community enures. Until change happens and Black Lives Matter, we will never truly be the community we strive to be.”
As reported by Kotaku, NBA 2K20 has also chosen to use its platform for Black Lives Matter and is giving away three free shirts for players to wear on their in-game avatars. These shirts say “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe,” and “Say Their Names.”
In the neighborhood hub world section of NBA 2K20, many players wore the free shirts and protested in-game, all while large “Black Lives Matter” posters adorned the surrounding buildings.
Image Credit: @FlyWithoutWings
The in-game tributes accompany the many companies around the world spreading the Black Lives Matter message and stepping back to allow for important voices to be heard.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can’t say this loudly enough – Black Lives Matter.. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Sony Europe–of which Sony Australia is a branch–has today faced charges from the Australian Competition And Consumer Commission (ACCC) for misleading customers about their consumer rights. The Federal Court of Australia has hit Sony with $3.5 million in penalty charges “making false and misleading representations on its website and in dealings with Australian consumers about their Australian Consumer Law (ACL) rights.”
The court found that Sony Europe had misled four customers after they purchased games described as “faulty” through the PlayStation Network. Sony informed customers that they were not entitled to a refund if the game had been downloaded, or if 14 days has passed since purchase, which is not in line with Australian consumer laws.
In a statement, ACCC chair Rod Sims asserted that Sony gave customers false advice. “Consumer guarantee rights do not expire after a digital product has been downloaded and certainly do not disappear after 14 days or any other arbitrary date claimed by a game store or developer,” he said. “Consumers who buy digital products online have exactly the same rights as they would if they made the purchase at a physical store.”
Furthermore, Sony Europe is said to have breached Australian law by telling one customer that only the game’s developer could authorize a refund, and another that they were only entitled to a refund in the form of digital store credit. “Refunds under the consumer guarantees must also be given in cash or money transfer if the consumer originally paid in one of those ways, unless the consumer chooses to receive store credit,” Sims stated.
The game or games are not specified. In May, the ACCC ordered Australian retailer EB Games to refund customers who had purchased Fallout 76 at launch and then found themselves unable to return it–it is unclear if the two cases are related.
Sony Europe will be made to pay some of the ACCC’s legal costs as part of the charges.
Sony is set to reveal the PlayStation 5 soon, but the reveal scheduled for this week has been delayed following the murder of George Floyd.
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Big summer deals for gaming are just kicking off, and you can now order the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition Xbox One X console. Not only that but the console will only cost $299 for a limited time only.
This is likely to be a hot item, especially with that $100 discount, so don’t miss out if you’ve been eagerly waiting for the last ever special edition Xbox One X to be released. Right now only Walmart has the console up and ready to order, but this is likely to change as the day goes on, and we’ll be updating this page with all the current listings.
We can now also be certain what the console will come with, as listed on its retailer description, we can expect the console, controller, a full copy of Cyberpunk 2077 on September 17, and “the first expansion will be delivered directly to the console upon release.” This is worth taking note of. If you want to see even more of the console and controller, check out the gallery we’ve included below.
The console features custom panels that look straight out of the game’s futuristic setting, alongside an ominous glow in the dark message on the console that reads “No Future,” which matches up quite nicely with the previously see Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox controller. The controller features Johnny Silverhand’s black and silver color scheme, along with touches of red.
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Robert Anderson is a Commerce Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @robertliam21
Players who boot up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone now will be prompted to download an update, and it’s added a new splash screen to the game announcing support for Black Lives Matter. The screen, reported on by The Verge, contains a message for the Call of Duty player community.
“Our community is hurting,” the screen reads. “The systemic inequalities our community experiences are once again center stage. Call of Duty and Infinity Ward stand for equality and inclusion. We stand against the racism and injustice our Black community endures. Until change happens and Black Lives Matter, we will never truly be the community we strive to be.”
The screen will appear for all players upon booting the game, and The Verge reports that it is also appearing on loading screens and when you switch between different modes.
While Call of Duty has long been notorious for having many toxic players, this is one of several efforts being taken or promised right now to address racism among the player base. Season 4 has been delayed following the murder of George Floyd, and Infinity Ward has promised to combat in-game racism with enhanced counter-measures.
GameSpot is now hosting Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.
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Konami has recently expressed an interest in expanding its portfolio by publishing more games by Western developers. This new initiative began on June 3 with the release of Skelattack, an indie platformer developed by Californian studio Ukuza. However, Konami doesn’t just want to publish western indie games–the studio has expressed interest in innovative games “regardless of size.”
“I guess the reason we’re talking about smaller titles is because the first title we announced is Skelattack, which is obviously an indie title,” Konami senior European brand and business development manager Richard Jones told GamesIndustry.Biz. “I think one of the reasons we’re looking to those types of smaller teams is just that there’s so much creativity out there with those guys–you know, teams working on small but ambitious titles. Those guys are the ones daring to do innovative games, and I think that’s something very exciting, which we wanted to support as a publisher.”
Jones continued: “[But] I think the criteria we’re looking for really is similar across all new IP regardless of size. Maybe some of those criteria become amplified with the smaller projects. I’m thinking specifically of people coming with fresh ideas, and teams that are pushing existing genres in new ways, or coming up with something genuinely unique. There’s just so much going on in this flourishing indie scene at the moment that I think it’s only natural that we’re looking at small teams and small titles, as well as other titles.”
Though Konami has only just gone public with this push for new Western IPs, the studio has been planning this “for months,” says Jones. At the moment, Konami is specifically looking “at short and mid-term titles that need funding and publishing support” with an emphasis on games being developed in Europe given the less severe time zone difference in comparison to North and South America.
GameSpot’s Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming–has officially begun. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for both COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.
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As the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store launch huge, E3-level sales this week, Steam is offering a nice batch of deals on its own. Notably, EA just released a handful of its games on Steam today, and many of them are on sale. You’ll also find a big Resident Evil sale along with discounts on indie games from Chucklefish and more.
The Resident Evil franchise is also seeing discounts across the board, including a Raccoon City Edition bundle that gets you the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes for $60. That’s a good deal outside of this sale, but considering the games are currently marked down to $20 and $39.59 separately, it doesn’t really matter whether you buy them separately or together. You can also grab Resident Evil 7 for $9.89 and several of the older games for 5 bucks each.
You’ll find some other gems on sale, including the challenging but uplifting platformer Celeste, which is discounted to $10; the turn-based strategy game Wargroove, which is down to $10 as well; and the 11 Bit Studios best-sellers bundle, which gets you Frostpunk, Moonlighter, Children of Morta, and This War of Mine for just $32.36. Xbox Game Studios’ Ori and the Will of the Wisps also has a nice discount on Steam right now, available for $24 instead of its usual $30.
