News

Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening was previously revealed as a side-scroller based on Buichi Terasawa’s legendary manga and its anime adaptation. Now publisher Microids and developer Magic Pockets have locked in a release date, lining the action game up for an August 26 launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and Gog. Related: Space Adventure Cobra Side-Scrolling Action Game Targets 2025 Launch As previously reported, Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening covers the first 12 episodes of the anime adaptation, which originally aired in Japan for 31 episodes from 1982 to 1983. It also takes inspiration from Terasawa's original 1978-1984 manga, which went on to inspire the aforementioned classic anime along with OVAs, a 2010 anime and, perhaps most famously, Osamu Dezaki's 1982 classic Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie . Source: Microids on X (formerly Twitter)...

With Steam Next Fest underway, MegaPixel Studio and developer Forever Entertainment have decided to give those of you waiting for The House of the Dead 2: Remake a treat with a new demo ahead of the game’s release later this year. The demo just contains the first level, but you’ll be able to get your co-op fix with a friend (if you so choose), as well as experience the the remastered soundtrack.

Along with the remastered soundtrack and graphical revamp, The House of the Dead 2: Remake will include the same co-op play, branching paths and multiple endings of the original game. The remake will also include a Boss Rush Mode, where you must defeat the game’s bosses as fast as you can, as well as a Training Mode, allowing you to hone your skills in different training scenarios.

For those who don’t know, The House...

After bringing fans their fantastic remaster of The Thing this past December, Nightdive and Atari are giving them (along with physical media junkies) another reason to shell out: a physical edition of The Thing: Remastered for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Created in collaboration with Universal Products & Experiences, the physical edition of The Thing: Remastered hits on June 25, which happens to be the 43rd anniversary of John Carpenter‘s 1982 cult classic film.

Not only that, but there will be a Deluxe Edition of the game! Here’s the breakdown for what you get:

Physical copy of the game Deluxe Edition box Steelbook Case Key art poster Captain Blake’s ID card replica Sew-on patches

The Standard Edition will retail for $29.99, while the Deluxe Edition of The Thing: Remastered will set you back $49.99. Pre-orders are available now.

The Thing: Remastered is a faithful restoration of Computer Artwork’s 2002 third-person survival horror...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

Fat City screens on 35mm this Sunday, as does a 16mm puppets program; restorations of Santa Sangre and Amadeus play Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Museum of Modern Art

A major highlight of any filmgoing year, To Save and Project continues, with Anthony Mann’s Jimmy Stewart-starring Bend of the River screening Friday.

Film Forum

AI: From Metropolis to Ex Machina continues, featuring a rare 35mm showing of Thx 1138, Gog in 3D, and RoboCop; The Iron Giant screens on Sunday.

IFC Center

The classic rock doc Dig! returns with an extended recut; a Donald Sutherland retrospective continues; Seven, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battle Royale, and The Lost Boys show late.

Anthology Film Archives

Blackout 1973 features films by Sembène, Mambéty and more; Essential Cinema hosts two Georges Méliès programs.

Museum of the Moving Image

See It Big! Let It...

In the last couple of months, rumors have spread around that Xbox is looking to build its very own handheld gaming system. Details about this system were unearthed by the industry’s most reliable insiders, and even Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer hinted at the possibility of it. The handheld would be similar to the successful Nintendo Switch.

The handheld market has seen a surge in recent years, and Microsoft plans to hop on it. (Image via Microsoft)

It’s going to be a long while before this Xbox handheld hits the shelves. However, the community had decided to take matters into their own hands. One incredibly talented gamer has crafted a functional Xbox handheld that can play tons of games without emulation.

Gamer Crafts a Portable Xbox Before Microsoft The custom Xbox handheld console looks promising. (Image via Microsoft)

One X/Twitter user, by the handle of Redherring32, has...

On September 10, 2024, Remedy Entertainment updated the original Alan Wake to remove David Bowie’s legendary track Space Oddity from its soundtrack. The song has been a key element of the game’s ending, playing during the closing credits and leaving a haunting final impression on players.

An iconic part of the game is getting removed. | Image Credit: Remedy

This decision was a result of licensing changes, which have forced developer Remedy Entertainment to replace the song in all PC versions of the game. Instead of Bowie’s melancholic space ballad, an original song titled Strange Moons by composer Petri Alanko will take its place.

A Big Part of the Original Alan Waken Experience Is Going Away

The update, which was sent out on September 10, 2024, affects the 2010 version of Alan Wake on PC platforms like Steam, Epic Games Store, and Gog. Consoles and Remastered versions will remain unaffected.

New Doom + Doom 2 bundle includes a brand-new official story episode with new demons and weapons. Crossplatform multiplayer for up to 16 players is supported, with all previously released bonus content included in the collection. Doom + Doom 2 is available on all modern platforms, running at 60 Fps in 1080p resolution minimum.

Few games can claim both the influence and staying power of the iconic, foundational Fps, Doom, and even 31 years after its initial release, official new content has been released. Doom wasn't necessarily the first Fps game, but alongside Wolfenstein, it shaped the genre's landscape in a way that arguably wouldn't be matched until 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved. Even modern games often struggle with long-term development support, but a brand-new episode has just arrived alongside a new Doom bundle.

Under publisher Bethesda Softworks' stewardship of id Software's catalog, a new Doom + Doom 2 bundle has been released, which includes an official new story episode,...

After 5 years of development, Fallout: London mod is finally available, offering a new area, quests, fully-voiced NPCs, weapons, and more. The mod is free on Gog and requires Fallout 4: Goty Edition, with a separate launcher preventing future incompatibility issues. Team Folon's perseverance pays off as Fallout: London becomes one of the most popular mods in the Fallout community.

It's been a long time coming but those patient Fallout 4 fans who've waited five years for the extensive Fallout: London conversion mod can now finally begin their journey through the derelict streets of the UK's capital. Developed by a group of hobbyists and professionals going by the name Team Folon, Fallout: London is one of the most ambitious modding projects ever seen for any Fallout game and the fact that it exists at all is a testament to the creators' perseverance. Despite plenty of setbacks, launch day is here and...

Prime Gaming offers 15 free games leading up to Prime Day, featuring a mix of classics and modern hits for all tastes. Prime Gaming subscribers should mark their calendars for each game release as the selection won't be accessible after Prime Day. Highlighted games like Tmnt: Shredder's Revenge, Knights of the Old Republic II, and Hitman Absolution offer quality gaming experiences.

Amazon is providing Prime Gaming subscribers with several fantastic games as the company prepares for its annual Prime Day celebration and 2024's selection of free goodies includes beloved classics and modern retro hits. The time every Prime subscriber anticipates is currently scheduled to take place between July 16 and July 17 and while that may still be a few weeks away at the time of writing, that doesn't mean there aren't already some rewards to unlock. Prime Day itself will likely pack a few extra surprises, but the road leading up to...

If you’ve played through Baldur’s Gate 3, you know that Larian Studios has crafted an unforgettable cast of companions, each with their own unique stories and personalities. But there’s one character who stands out above the rest, capturing players’ hearts with her infectious optimism, tragic backstory, and unwavering determination: Karlach, the lovable Tiefling Barbarian with a heart of gold (and an infernal engine).

From the moment we first meet Karlach on the Risen Road, it’s clear that she’s not your typical companion. Born in Baldur’s Gate to a loving family, Karlach’s life took a dark turn when she was betrayed by her employer, Enver Gortash, and sold to the archdevil, Zariel.

Trapped in Avernus and forced to fight in the Blood War for a decade, Karlach’s only hope for freedom lies in the nautiloid’s incursion into the Nine Hells.

The Challenges of...

As we wait for CD Projekt Red to release either the next Witcher title or the remaster for the first one, there’s some exciting news that’ll keep fans busy until the next major release. In just a few weeks, the studio will be releasing a mod kit for The Witcher 3, titled REDkit.

It’s amazing what modders have managed to achieve without an extensive mod editor, and with the release of REDkit, the creativity of the modding community can finally be unleashed with no holds barred.

CD Projekt Red Finally Releases REDkit for the Most Loved Witcher Title

CD Projekt Red has released the ultimate mod kit for The Witcher 3

It’s official! The mod kit for the third Witcher is almost here. It’s based on the same tools that the developers used to make the game so expect its modding community to boom with mods that...

Hot on the heels of Prime Video’s release of the “Fallout” series, Bethesda has announced a “next-gen update” for the PlayStation and Xbox versions of Fallout 4, which will arrive on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series on April 25. The PC version of Fallout 4 will also be getting the upgrade on the same day.

The free update will make it so that Fallout 4 is natively playable on the current generation of consoles, adding in Performance and Quality mode settings, framerate increases up to 60 Fps and increased resolutions, stability improvements, login, and quest fixes. As for PC fans, the game will now include widescreen and ultra-widescreen support, as well as fixes to Creation Kit and a variety of quest updates. This will apply to the versionso of the game on Steam, Microsoft Store and Gog.

That’s not all. Bethesda has included free Creation Club items with the update, starting with the...

With Nightdive’s long-awaited System Shock remake hitting consoles next month with some new updates, PC players are probably wondering when those same updates are headed their way. Wonder no more, as Nightdive has announced that v1.2 of System Shock will arrive on April 11.

The v1.2 System Shock update will add those same enhancements that consoles players will be enjoying, including the addition of a revised ending that upgrades the final confrontation with Shodan, the ability to play as a female hacker protagonist, enemy AI improvements, a new waypoint system for the Easy Mode difficulty, and additional fixes.

System Shock takes place in the year 2072. You are a nameless hacker, and you’ve been caught while attempting to access files concerning Citadel Station, a space station owned by the TriOptimum Corporation. However, in exchange for the dropping of all charges (and a military grade neural implant), you are tasked with hacking Shodan,...

The wait is nearly over for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes , which brings its Suikoden -inspired adventure to consoles and PC on April 23, 2024. While we still have a little over a month to go, publisher 505 Games went ahead and shared a pre-launch trailer to set the stage. Clocking in at nearly five minutes, the latest preview introduces the main characters and the story at hand. It then goes on to introduce even more characters; look, it's called Hundred Heroes , okay? Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Pre-launch Trailer Related: Yoshitaka Murayama, Creator of Suikoden RPG Series, Has Passed Away 505 Games sums up the story: The Galdean Empire has edged out other nations and discovered a technology that amplifies the rune-lenses’ magic. Now, the Empire is scouring the continent for an artifact that will expand their power even further. It is on one such expedition that Seign Kesling, a young and gifted imperial officer,...

PlayStation and Xbox gamers waiting on Nightdive Studios’ System Shock remake have finally gotten their answer. Released for PC last May, Nightdive has announced that the remake to the 1994 cult classic sci-fi horror Fps will arrive on May 21, complete with an expanded ending, a new female hacker protagonist and more.

In case you missed it, the System Shock remake combines the gameplay of the original title with all-new HD visuals while keeping a stylized “pixelated” look to its textures, updated controls, an overhauled interface, and all-new sounds and music. The console release—which will arrive on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and the Xbox Series—features numerous improvements from the PC release, including the addition of a revised ending that upgrades the final confrontation with Shodan, as well as the ability to play as a female hacker protagonist.

System Shock takes place in the year 2072. You are a nameless hacker, and...

Artist Alex Ross created the villain from his 1996 miniseries Kingdom Come with Mark Waid specifically to parody 90s superhero trends, particularly inspired by Rob Liefeld's style of characters. Magog was meant to represent the increasingly common edgy antiheroes of the 1990s, including Liefeld characters such as Cable, with over-the-top design elements. Ross intended Magog to challenge the excesses of the era, pushing back against gritty Liefeld-inspired characters.

With the 1996 Elsewords story "Kingdom Come," writer Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross introduced the villain Magog to the DC Comics, a character that would subsequently prove to be an enduring threat to the company's familiar superhero status quo. In an early 2000s interview, Ross admitted that Magog was designed as a direct visual reference to the work of Marvel's most controversial 1990s creator: Rob Liefeld.

In a 2003 interview for the December issue of Wizard Magazine, Kingdom Come artist Alex Ross explained the inspiration for Magog,...

The Switch release for Clover Bite’s Grime has been a long time coming, but it’s finally happening later this month. Grime, will debut for the Nintendo Switch on January 25th, coinciding with the release of the Definitive Edition of the game. This version will include the third and final Dlc for the game, Parting Shade, which is headed to all available platforms.

Details on the Parting Shade Dlc are still to come, though the press release states that players will have to “conjure all of their might as they face their biggest challenges yet” in a new explorable area, forcing even the most veteran of metroidvania players to “lock-in and fight toe-to-toe with adversity”.

Rooting itself in the Metroidvania playerscape with its anatomical horror and Soulslike levelling progression, Grime you play as a humanoid being after having been “squeezed into existence” from unusual material. Born into an alien world,...

Superman's failure to save his sidekick Boy Thunder leads to him becoming Magog, one of DC's most infamous villains. #spoilersahead In Batman/Superman: World's Finest #22, Gog bestows new powers on Thunderman and renames him Magog, sealing his dark fate. #superherocomics Superman's inability to save Boy Thunder from becoming Magog indirectly causes the tragedy in the Kingdom Come storyline. #supermansfailure

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman/Superman: World's Finest #22!Without a doubt, Superman's most recent failure will go down as his greatest. Clark tried his hardest to save his lost sidekick Boy Thunder from a twisted and tragic future. But even Superman can't fight fate, leaving Clark's partner to become one of the most infamous figures in DC history.

In Batman/Superman: World's Finest #22 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, Clark and Bruce are still stuck in the Kingdom Come world and face off against several variants of their allies. Unfortunately, the...

Alongside the big reveal of the Creepshow teaser, there was plenty of other goodies for fans watching the 2023 edition of The Indie Horror Game Showcase. DreadXP and several indie publishers had plenty of reveal trailers, updates and even accolades for current games. Here’s a sampling of what went on during the event. You can catch even more games from the event from the recorded stream below.

Fresh from the release of El Paso, Elsewhere last week, Strange Scaffold released an accolades trailer showing off select quotes and plenty of amazing scores for the neo-noir horror shooter. And yes, in case you’re wondering, one of those scores is courtesy of Bd’s Aaron Boehm, who wrote up a glowing review of the game. El Paso, Elsewhere is out now on PC via Steam, Xbox One and the Xbox Series.

Party for Introverts dropped a short-but-sweet trailer for their upcoming vampire visual novel RPG Cabernet,...

Today, Riot Forge and Tequila Works released the all-new Eyes of the Freljord trailer to celebrate the upcoming release of Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, a story-driven adventure game starring beloved League of Legends champions Nunu and Willump. The game will be available on Wednesday, November 1 at 9:00 Am Pt / 4:00 Pm GMT / 5:00 Pm Cet and Thursday, November 2 at 1:00 Am Kst for Nintendo Switch as well as PC via Steam, Gog, and the Epic Games Store.

Developed by Tequila Works and published by Riot Forge, Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story takes players on the ultimate road trip with best friends Nunu and Willump. Players will hike, climb, and sled their way across the Freljord, a frostbitten land full of harsh blizzards, ferocious wolves and enchantment. Gamers must use their wits to progress through the frozen landscape and uncover what secrets lie hidden beneath the ice.

Finally, console gamers can get in on the revamped old-school Fps fun of Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition that PC gamers have been enjoying for a few months. The remaster of the cult classic shooter is out today for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Xbox One, the Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch, courtesy of Nightdive Studios, New Blood Interactive and Apogee Entertainment.

For the first time ever, players can splatter ludicrous gibs on consoles! With a controller in hand, get trigger happy and experience 1995’s Rise of the Triad like never before with modern luxuries, including crisp 4K graphics, increased Fov, cloud saves, and achievements.

“Reviving Rott has been a blast. Many thanks to our friends at Nightdive and New Blood for making the console edition a reality,” said Scott Miller, founder of Apogee Entertainment and original project manager of Rise of the Triad circa 1995. “Rott’s simple, fast-paced formula was...

The Yasha Sniper Rifle is one of the new weapons that the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Dlc is bringing to Night City. But getting this new weapon isn't as easy as killing some random Netrunner or working a side gig; instead, it's a part of the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitch Drop event.

In conjunction with the release of Phantom Liberty, CD Projekt Red has launched the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitch Drop event, which will run from September 25 at 1pm Cest until October 21 at 11:59pm Cest. Its main aim is to promote the Dlc by rewarding participating players with exclusive loot, and the Yasha Sniper Rifle is the prize everyone has their eyes set on. So, if you're not sure how to start the Phantom Liberty Dlc, a new sniper rifle isn't a bad way to do so.

Related: You're About To Play Cyberpunk 2077 Again (Even Without Dlc)

How To Get The Yasha Sniper...

After the hiccup for the console release of Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition, Nightdive Studios, New Blood Interactive and Apogee Entertainment have finally announced that the remaster of the cult classic Fps now has a release date of September 29 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, with both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series via backwards compatibility.

For the first time in Rott history, players will gear up for all-out carnage on consoles and experience the trailblazing ‘90s Fps as never played before – with a controller! Players will be able to run and gun across newly added multiplayer maps, and enjoy modern enhancements like revamped 4K graphics, increased Fov, and cloud saves.

Gear up and take aim as an operative of the High-Risk United Nations Task-Force (codenamed H.U.N.T.) on a top-secret investigation off the California coast. Select from five elite soldiers armed with distinct abilities and stats, and...

Originally launched for the PC earlier this year, developer ITEM42 and publisher HandyGames’ classical mythology-inspired co-op shooter Perish will finally be seeing a console release. While no release date was announced, Perish will be coming to the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series and Xbox One.

Perish is a four-player Fps that puts you as amyetri, a corporeal spirit condemned to live a shadow life in the halfway realm of Purgatory. In order to escape Purgatory and enter Elysium, you must slay hordes of creatures inspired by ancient Greek, Roman, and Christian mythologies, selling their gold-stained corpses to craven priests.

Obviously, this is no easy task. If you die at the hands of these creatures, you’ll be forced to lose precious gold and begin again. On the other hand, you’ll be selling the corpses of these creatures in exchange for increasingly powerful melee weapons and firearms. Each weapon will have...

The day has finally arrived for Apogee Entertainment and developer Trigger Happy Interactive. Their over-the-top sci-fi shooter Turbo Overkill finally hits 1.0 on PC via Steam and Gog for $24.99, with a special 15% launch discount until August 18th.

The 1.0 launch concludes the three-part epic with “The Final Episode, Part 2”, and ups the ante with co-op multiplayer via lobby code, full mod support, and an epic 3+ hour 75-track Sound Selection by Tim Stoney (Star Wars: Obi Wan Kenobi), Nikola Jeremic (Cyberpunk 2077), and Chipper Hammond (Disney Shanghai Parade).

Not only that, but Apogee and Trigger Happy have announced that Turbo Overkill will be getting an “Episode Zero” prequel comic that delves into the backstory of protagonist Johnny Turbo by Scott Faye this September.

“We’re so grateful for the support we’ve gotten from Turbo fans old and new as we’ve gone through this journey from Early Access to 1.0 launch,” said Sam Prebble,...

After years in Early Access, publisher Ysbryd Games and developer Panstasz will unleash World of Horror this October. The Junji Ito-inspired cosmic horror game will launch October 19 for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, the Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, Gog and itch.io.

Announced today during the Guerrilla Collective Showcase, the full 1.0 release of World of Horror includes 14 playable characters, each with their own stats and backstories. That’s in addition to the 20 curated mysteries found in the game, each with endless replayability. On the PC side, players can also take advantage of World of Horror‘s modding tools, providing access to custom mysteries devised by the community, or even creating your own.

“I am forever grateful for the community that has surrounded World of Horror during its years in development,” said Pawel Kozminski, founder of Panstasz. “I’m really looking forward to welcoming console players to the true world of horror...

Indie publisher Assemble Entertainment and solo developer Tainted Pact bring us a terrifying descent into survival horror madness with Suffer the Night, a new horror game that Bloody Disgusting is excited to announce is Available Now on Steam, Gog, and itch.io!

Alone in a secluded cabin during a violent storm, horror illustrator Stacey Liden will discover the true meaning of fear…

Suffer the Night bleeds together campy 80s slasher vibes with the familiar feel of anxiety-inducing first-person survival horror, with the added bonus of classic dungeon crawler gameplay. Amidst the horror and chaos increasing in intensity around her, will Stacey manage to weather the storm and…suffer the night?

In the game, “After receiving an envelope containing a mysterious floppy disk, Stacey boots it up on her old Eldrixon personal computer and begins playing. As she progresses through the terror of the text-based adventure, she’s visited by a mysterious and threatening stranger,...

Warsaw, Poland – We are excited to announce the upcoming release of Shardpunk: Verminfall, a turn-based tactical RPG set in a dark and gritty steampunk world. The game will be released on April 13, 2023, for PC on Steam and Gog.

In Shardpunk: Verminfall, players must lead a squad of unlikely heroes through the ruins of a city overrun by hordes of mutated rats. With each hero possessing unique abilities and personalities, players must strategize their approach to survive the harsh and unforgiving world.

Put together a crew of survivors use a range of steampunk weapons and bots to scavenge for resources, slow down the horde, and reach safety. Shardpunk: Verminfall mixes turn-based tactical strategy with RPG, survival, and resource management. From battle tactics to the most difficult decisions on who should receive the last medpack or rations, the player needs to take charge and live with its consequences.

“I am thrilled to...

The 1980s were full of robots, lasers, odd fashion choices, and teen films, including the now cult film Chopping Mall (watch it Here). In this 1986 sci-fi film, a group of teenage friends and mall workers end up stuck in the Mall after closing hours when a trio of security robots are deployed for the first time.

In the 80s, anything futuristic or with robots seemed to get greenlit with budgets of varying levels and quality of varying degrees. Some of these films took themselves very seriously, too seriously even. However, Chopping Mall was one of those films with the perfect mixture of low budget, the right talent in front of and behind the cameras, and the right level of seriousness to its content and how it was approached. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it doesn’t go full-on goofy, either. There is a “just right” aspect...

Wiesbaden, Germany – 2nd March 2023. Today, acclaimed indie publisher Assemble Entertainment and developer Odyssey Studios reveal an April 5, 2023, release date for Moviehouse – The Film Studio Tycoon, a new film-making management simulation that puts players in the director’s chair of an up-and-coming production studio. Inspired by Peter Molyneux’s “The Movies,” players will write, produce, and direct indies evolving into Hollywood’s biggest hits in this new spin on the classic tycoon formula.

Showcased in the new devlog, Moviehouse – The Film Studio Tycoon proves that the devil really is in the details, with the devs showcasing how they went about creating one of the most important yet vastly overlooked pieces of movie magic: the miniature set.

Starting in the 80s where neon and practical effects ruled, and spanning through the decades to the near-real look of current day CGI, players start with a small yet passionate film crew with rudimentary equipment...

Obsidian Entertainment is jumping on the current-gen upgrade bandwagon with The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition. Touted as “the definitive way to play” The Outer Worlds, this upgrade of the 2019 original will arrive March 7 for PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and Gog, along with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series.

The Spacer’s Choice Edition includes the base game, which has been “remastered with better graphics, improved performance, additional animations, higher-res environments, and more”, alongside all of the previously-released add-on content. The game will also sport a higher level cap.

Those players who already have The Outer Worlds and the appropriate Dlc, “Murder on Eridanos” and “Peril on Gorgon,” for Xbox One, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, or PC, can upgrade to the Spacer’s Choice Edition within that same console family or that same PC store at a reduced price.

If you missed out on The Outer Worlds...

With the Resident Evil 4 remake’s release on the horizon, developer Invader Studios and publisher Leonardo Interactive have announced that Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle has an updated release date. The prequel to Daymare: 1998 will arrive on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Gog this May. Invader Studios also released a bunch of screenshots for the game on their Twitter and the official site.

Set before the events of Daymare: 1998, the game follows special agent Dalila Reyes, a former government spy now in service of H.A.D.E.S. (Hexacore Advanced Division for Extraction and Search). Reyes has set out to explore an advanced experimental research center in the US to uncover the some strange goings on.

Touted as the “perfect mix of fierce and deadly enemies, hardcore action game mechanics, environmental puzzles, a chilling soundtrack, plenty of exploration and massive doses of concentrated horror”, Daymare:...

With Steam Next Fest underway, Nightdive has released a brand-new demo for their upcoming System Shock remake, which is expected to arrive next month. The new demo offers up several new goodies for fans, including a brand-new intro, revamped enemy AI, and plenty of that dismemberment that we got a glimpse of in the last Kickstarter update.

The first thing you’ll notice with the new demo is a brand-new introduction sequence for System Shock that “sets the mood and stage for what’s to come once they arrive at Citadel Station.” Additionally, the demo does a bit of world-building, offering up a glimpse at what life was like as a denizen of 2072 New Atlanta.

Citadel Station, on the other hand, has seen better days. The Medical level is in disarray with debris and clutter, alongside a few new enemies eager to make your acquaintance.

“There are also some new...

Slipgate Ironworks has dropped the second major Early Access update for Graven, which has now been out for just over a year. Graven is still expected to launch fully on PC on Steam, Gog, and the Epic Games Store, as well as the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and the Nintendo Switch in 2023.

The update fleshes out Graven’s first world hub, which sees players return to the plague-ridden town of Cruxfirth. You’ll be assisting the destitute townsfolk in new side quests, as well as delving into the Damned Estuary to finish off the hub. You’ll also now have at your disposal the Writ of Subjugation, an illicit scroll of primitive but effective magic, and the Ballista, a heavy crossbow capable of felling large targets at great distances.

In addition, Slipgate has also expanded the 4-player online co-op component to the Gog and Epic Game Store versions of Graven.

Summer is sadly drawing to an end, but Gog are looking to extend it just a little longer with their aptly-named The Gog Sale. And, as part of that sale, Gog has made The Brotherhood’s 2015 sci-fi horror game Stasis available to grab for free for the next 72 hours.

You know how it goes: sign up for free at Gog, go to the giveaway, add Stasis to your library, and enjoy. In addition, The Gog Sale has titles heavily discounted (up to 90 off), with flash deals going on until September 5th. New titles are also expected to join the service during the sale, so keep an eye out for those if you’re into DRM-free games.

If you’ve never played Stasis (read our review from way back when), think of it as a mix between Event Horizon and the classic point-and-click psychological horror title, Sanitarium. This isometric point-and-click, sci-fi...

It’s an understatement to say that the Cyberpunk 2077 launch hasn’t gone the way CD Projekt Red had hoped. This was the most anticipated game of the year, but what hit shelves was a buggy mess that barely ran on last-gen consoles. As a result, the title has been removed from Sony’s PlayStation Store and a warning about “performance issues” was added to Microsoft’s. Both companies are also offering full refunds for the title, which seems smart given that it looks like it’ll be many months until all the issues are ironed out.

Of course, nobody’s particularly happy with the current situation. CD Projekt Red has taken a massive hit to their reputation, their investors may be planning to sue over “misleading information” and gamers have been left hugely disappointed now that they face a long wait to play the finished product despite owning a copy of it.

This favorite animal film takes a half-step sideways out of the cute animal subgenre: the delightful Mij is no super-otter, just an ordinary playful garden-variety otter, as an Otter oughta be. (cough) Champion mellow English couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers have put together a film guaranteed to lower your blood pressure. But see it first before deciding it’s for your kids, as reality is not sugarcoated in its uplifting, but certainly not sentimentalized, view of our place in a world that still has some animals left alive.

Ring of Bright Water

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1969 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Peter Jeffrey, Jameson Clark, Helena Gloag.

Cinematography: Wolfgang Suschitsky

Film Editor: Reginald Mills

Original Music: Frank Cordell

Written by Jack Couffer and Bill Travers from a book by Gavin Maxwell

Produced by Joseph Strick

Directed by Jack...

Back in 1964 a lot of people still thought dolphins were fish, but by the time this TV show was finished, we all knew that our happy undersea friend was smarter than the average bear and lives in a world full of wonder. Ivan Tors’ grandly successful Florida-shot family show kept a lot of seagoing movie veterans in green seaweed, including both original ‘Creature’ Gill Men.

Flipper, Season One

Blu-ray

Olive Films

1964-65 / Color / 1:33 flat TV / 780 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / available through the Olive Films website / 39.95

Starring: Brian Kelly, Luke Halpin, Tommy Norden.

Cinematography: Clifford H. Poland Jr., Lamar Boren

Original Music: Henry Vars, song by

Written by: Jack Cowden, Ricou Browning, Peter L. Dixon, Laird Koenig, Stanley H. Silverman, Orville H. Hampton, Lee Erwin, Art Arthur, Jess Carneol, Key Lenard, Ivan Tors, Alan Caillou, Arthur Richards, Robert Sabaroff.

Produced by Ivan Tors, Ricou Browning, Leon Benson, Andrew Marton

Directed by: Ricou Browning,...

Robot roll call! This also-ran robotic fantasy from the 1950s is precisely the kind of movie one would expect from Republic, a two-fisted anti-Commie tract for juveniles. The studio comes up with an impressive robo-hero, but short-changes us when it come time for action thrills. Still, as pointed out in Richard Harland Smith’s new commentary, Tobor filled the the kiddie hunger for sci-fi matinees, at least until Robby the Robot came along.

Tobor the Great

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1954 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 77 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Charles Drake, Karin Booth, Billy Chapin, Taylor Holmes, Steven Geray, Hal Baylor, Alan Reynolds, Peter Brocco, Robert Shayne, Lyle Talbot, William Schallert

Cinematography: John L. Russell

Production Design: Gabriel Scognamillo

Special Effects: Howard and Theodore Lydecker

Film Editor: Basil Wrangell

Original Music: Howard Jackson

Written by Philip MacDonald, Carl Dudley

Produced by Richard Goldstone

Directed by Lee Sholem...

Ivan Tors and Curt Siodmak 'borrow' nine minutes of dynamite special effects from an obscure-because-suppressed German sci-fi picture, write a new script, and come up with an eccentric thriller where atom scientists behave like G-Men crossed with Albert Einstein. The challenge? How to make a faceless unstable atomic isotope into a worthy science fiction 'monster.' The Magnetic Monster Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1953 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 76 min. / Street Date June 14, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron, Leonard Mudie, Byron Foulger, Michael Fox, Frank Gerstle, Charles Williams, Kathleen Freeman, Strother Martin, Jarma Lewis. Cinematography Charles Van Enger Supervising Film Editor Herbert L. Strock Original Music Blaine Sanford Written by Curt Siodmak, Ivan Tors Produced by Ivan Tors Directed by Curt Siodmak

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

How did we ever survive without an "Office of Scientific Investigation?" In the early 1950s, producer Ivan Tors launched himself with a trio of science fiction movies based on that non-existent government entity, sort of an FBI for strange scientific phenomena. As of this writing, Kino has released a terrific 3-D Blu-ray of the third entry, 1954's Gog. The second Tors Osi mini-epic is the interesting, if scientifically scrambled Riders to the Stars, which shows up from time to time on TCM but has yet to find its way to home video in any format. The first of the series, 1953's The Magnetic Monster is considered the most scientifically interesting, although it mainly promotes its own laundry list of goofy notions about physics and chemistry. As it pretends that it is based on scientific ideas instead of rubber-suited monsters, Tors' abstract threat is more than just another 'thing' trying to abduct the leading lady. Exploiting the common fear of radiation, a force little understood by the general public, The Magnetic Monster invents a whole new secret government bureau dedicated to solving 'dangerous scientific problems' -- the inference being, of course, that there's always something threatening about science. Actually, producer Tors was probably inspired by his partner Curt Siodmak to take advantage of a fantastic special effects opportunity that a small show like Magnetic could normally never afford. More on that later. The script plays like an episode of Dragnet, substituting scientific detectives for L.A.P.D. gumshoes. Top-kick nuclear troubleshooter Dr. Jeff Stewart (Richard Carlson) can't afford to buy a tract home for his pregnant wife Connie (beautiful Jean Byron, later of The Patty Duke Show). He is one of just a few dauntless Osi operatives standing between us and scientific disaster. When local cops route a weird distress call to the Osi office, Jeff and his Phd. sidekick Dan Forbes (King Donovan) discover that someone has been tampering with an unstable isotope in a room above a housewares store on Lincoln Blvd.: every metallic object in the store has become magnetized. The agents trace the explosive element to one Dr. Serny (Michael Fox), whose "lone wolf" experiments have created a new monster element, a Unipolar watchamacallit sometimes referred to as Serranium. If not 'fed' huge amounts of energy this new element will implode, expand, and explode again on a predictable timetable. Local efforts to neutralize the element fail, and an entire lab building is destroyed. Dan and Jeff rush the now-larger isotope to a fantastic Canadian "Deltatron" constructed in a super-scientific complex deep under the ocean off Nova Scotia. The plan is to bombard the stuff with so much energy that it will disintegrate harmlessly. But does the Deltatron have enough juice to do the job? Its Canadian supervisor tries to halt the procedure just as the time limit to the next implosion is coming due! Sincere, likeable and quaint, The Magnetic Monster is nevertheless a prime candidate for chuckles, thanks to a screenplay with a high clunk factor. Big cheese scientist Jeff Stewart interrupts his experimental bombardment of metals in his atom smasher to go out on blind neighborhood calls, dispensing atom know-how like a pizza deliveryman. He takes time out to make fat jokes at the expense of the lab's switchboard operator, the charming Kathleen Freeman. The Osi's super-computer provides instant answers to various mysteries. Its name in this show is the acronym M.A.N.I.A.C.. Was naming differential analyzers some kind of a fetish with early computer men? Quick, which '50s Sci-fi gem has a computer named S.U.S.I.E.? The strange isotope harnesses a vague amalgam of nuclear and magnetic forces. It might seem logical to small kids just learning about the invisible wonder of magnetism -- and that understand none of it. All the silverware at the store sticks together. It is odd, but not enough to cause the sexy blonde saleswoman (Elizabeth Root) to scream and jump as if goosed by Our Friend the Atom. When a call comes in that a taxi's engine has become magnetized, our agents are slow to catch on. Gee, could that crazy event be related to our mystery element? When the culprit scientist is finally tracked down, and pulled off an airliner, he's already near death from overexposure to his own creation. We admire Dr. Serny, who after all managed to create a new element on his own, without benefit of a billion dollar physics lab. He also must be a prize dope for not realizing that the resulting radiation would kill him. The Osi troubleshooters deliver a stern lesson that all of us need to remember: "In nuclear research there is no place for lone wolves." If you think about it, the agency's function is to protect us from science itself, with blame leveled at individual, free-thinking, 'rogue' brainiacs. (Sarcasm alert.) The danger in nuclear research comes not from mad militarists trying to make bigger and more awful bombs; the villains are those crackpots cooking up end-of-the-world scenarios in their home workshops. Dr. Serny probably didn't even have a security clearance! The Magnetic Monster has a delightful gaffe in every scene. When a dangerous isotope is said to be 'on the loose,' a police radio order is broadcast to Shoot To Kill ... Shoot what exactly, they don't say. This line could very well have been invented in the film's audio mix, if producer Tors thought the scene needed an extra jolt. Despite the fact that writer-director Curt Siodmak cooked up the brilliant concept of Donovan's Brain and personally invented a bona fide classic monster mythology, his '50s sci-fi efforts strain credibility in all directions. As I explain in the Gold review, Siodmak may have been the one to come up with the idea of repurposing the climax of the old film. He was a refugee from Hitler's Germany, and had written a film with director Karl Hartl. Reading accounts in books by Tom Weaver and Bill Warren, we learn that the writer Siodmak had difficulty functioning as a director and that credited editor Herbert Strock stepped in to direct. Strock later claimed that the noted writer was indecisive on the set. The truly remarkable aspect of The Magnetic Monster comes in the last reel, when Jeff and Dan take an elevator ride way, way down to Canada's subterranean, sub-Atlantic Deltatron atom-smasher. They're suddenly wearing styles not worn in the early 'fifties -- big blocky coats and wide-brimmed hats. The answer comes when they step out into a wild mad-lab construction worthy of the visuals in Metropolis. A giant power station is outfitted with oversized white porcelain insulators -- even a set of stairs looks like an insulator. Atop the control booth is an array of (giant, what else) glass tubes with glowing neon lights inside. Cables and wires go every which-way. A crew of workers in wrinkled shop suits stands about like extras from The Three-Penny Opera. For quite some time, only readers of old issues of Famous Monsters of Filmland knew the secret of this bizarre footage, which is actually from the 1934 German sci-fi thriller Gold, directed by Karl Hartl and starring Hans Albers and Brigitte Helm. Tors and Siodmak do their best to integrate Richard Carlson and King Donovan into this spectacular twenty-year-old stock footage, even though the extravagant production values and the expressionist patina of the Ufa visuals are a gross mismatch for The Magnetic Monster's '50s semi-docu look. Jeff's wide hat and David Byrne coat are there to make him look more like Hans Albers in the 1934 film, which doesn't work because Albers must be four inches taller and forty pounds beefier than Richard Carlson. Jeff climbs around the Deltatron, enters a control booth and argues with the Canadian scientist/turnkey, who is a much better match for the villain of Gold. Jeff changes into a different costume, with a different cap -- so he can match Albers in the different scene in Gold. The exciting climax repurposes the extravagant special effects of Otto Hunte and Günther Rittau, changing the original film's attempted atomic alchemy into a desperate attempt to neutralize the nasty new element before it can explode again. The matching works rather well for Jeff's desperate struggle to close an enormous pair of bulkhead doors that have been sabotaged. And a matched cut on a whip pan from center stage to a high control room is very nicely integrated into the old footage. The bizarre scene doesn't quite come off... even kids must have known that older footage was being used. In the long shots, Richard Carlson doesn't look anything like Hans Albers. A fuel-rod plunger in the control room displays a German-style cross, even though the corresponding instrument in the original show wasn't so decorated. Some impressive close-up views of a blob of metal being bombarded by atomic particles are from the old movie, and others are new effects. Metallurgy is scary, man. The "Serranium" threat establishes a pattern touched upon by later Sci-fi movies with organic or abstract forces that grow from relative insignificance to world-threatening proportions. The Monolith Monsters proposes giant crystals that grow to the size of skyscrapers, threatening to cover the earth with a giant quartz-pile. The Sam Katzman quickie The Day the World Exploded makes The Magnetic Monster look like an expensive production. It invents a new mineral that explodes when exposed to air. The supporting cast of The Magnetic Monster gives us some pleasant, familiar faces. In addition to the beloved Kathleen Freeman is Strother Martin as a concerned airline pilot. Fussy Byron Foulger owns the housewares store and granite-jawed Frank Gerstle (Gristle?) is a gruff general. The gorgeous Jarma Lewis has a quick bit as a stewardess. The Kl Studio Classics Blu-ray of The Magnetic Monster is a fine transfer of this B&W gem from United Artists. Once hard to see, it was part of an expensive MGM-Image laserdisc set twenty years ago and then an Mod DVD in 2011. The disc comes with a socko original trailer that explains why it did reasonably well at the box office. Every exciting moment is edited into a coming attraction that really hypes the jeopardy factor. At that time, just the sight of a hero in a radiation suit promised something unusual. Nowadays, Hazardous Waste workers use suits like that to clean up common chemical spills. The commentary for The Magnetic Monster is by Fangoria writer Derek Botelho, whose name is misspelled as Botello on the disc package. I've heard Derek on a couple of David del Valle tracks for Vincent Price movies, where he functioned mainly as an Ed McMahon-like fan sidekick. His talk tends to drift into loosely related sidebar observations. Instead of discussing how the movie was made by cannibalizing another, he recounts for us the comedy stock footage discovery scene from Tim Burton's Ed Wood. Several pages recited from memoirs by Curt Siodmak and Herbert Strock do provide useful information on the film. Botelho appreciates actress Kathleen Freeman. You can't go wrong doing that. Viewers that obtain Kino's concurrent Blu-ray release of the original 1934 German thriller Gold will note that the repurposed scenes from that film look much better here, although they still bear some scratches. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, The Magnetic Monster Blu-ray rates: Movie: Good + Video: Very Good Sound: Excellent Supplements: Commentary with Derek Botelho, Theatrical trailer Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? N0; Subtitles: None Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 8, 2016 (5138magn)

Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com

Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...

I live in Los Angeles, and my residency here means that a lot of great film programming-- revival screenings, advance looks at upcoming releases and vital, fascinating glimpses at unheralded, unexpected cinema from around the world—is available to me on a week-by-week basis. But I’ve never been to Cannes. Toronto, Tribeca, New York, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, SXSW, these festivals are all events that I have yet to be lucky enough to attend, and I can reasonably expect that it’s probably going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. I never attended a film festival of any kind until I made my way to the outskirts of the Mojave Desert for the Lone Pine Film Festival in 2006, which was its own kind of grand adventure, even if it wasn’t exactly one for bumping shoulders with critics, stars and fanatics on the French Riviera.

But since 2010 there...

Some fun stuff dropping this month! A gory ’80s slasher, a thoughtful Sci-Fi epic, Lego superheroes, and More. Yes. More. No lie. Needle in my eye, etc. More.

The Peanuts Movie

Hailed by both critics and audiences, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the entire gang hit the big screen in their first 3D foray last year. Extras include featurettes like “You Never Grow Up, Charlie Brown,” “6 Snoopy Snippets,” and Meghan Trainor’s video for “Better When I’m Dancin’.” You know you want to revisit your youth. You know you want to fly with the Red Baron! You know you want to dance with Meghan Trainor!

$19.99 Buy The Peanuts Movie

Victor Frankenstein

Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, and the X-men’s Professor X, James McAvoy, join forces to breathe new life (so to speak) into one of the greatest horror stories ever told. Told from Igor’s perspective, this...

Happy March, everyone! This month’s home entertainment offerings are starting off with the proverbial bang as there seems to be a little something for every genre fan arriving on Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday. Scream Factory is releasing both The Boy and Narcopolis on both formats this week, and Kino Lorber is resurrecting a pair of cult classics in HD as well: Gog (3D) and Transformations. Grindhouse Releasing has assembled an incredible Blu set for their release of Pieces, and the recent home invasion thriller, Intruders, makes its way onto DVD on March 1st.

For those of you who have made the leap to 4K, both The Last Witch Hunter and Mad Max: Fury Road are getting a special 4K release on Tuesday and other notable titles making their way home this first week of March include Zoombies, The Sinful Dwarf, The Fear of Darkness, Scream at the Devil,...

Now, after 62 years, viewable again in beautiful 3-D! Scientists are being murdered in a secret underground laboratory overseen by a super-computer and two robots, Gog and Magog. The restoration is a stunning achievement, covered thoroughly on the disc extras. The year is young, but this is an early favorite. Gog 3-D 3-D Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1954 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 85 min. / Street Date March 1, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 34.95 Starring Richard Egan, Constance Dowling, Herbert Marshall, John Wengraf, Philip Van Zandt, Michael Fox, William Schallert. Cinematography Lothrop B. Worth Film Editor Herbert L. Strock Original Music Harry Sukman Written by Tom Taggart, Richard G. Taylor, Ivan Tors Produced by Ivan Tors Directed by Herbert L. Strock

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Once viewable only at isolated special film festivals, vintage films on 3-D are enjoying a comeback thanks to a busy independent company. The 3-D Film Archive has done work for various studios and disc distributors,...

Directed by: Herbert L. Strock

Written by: Tom Taggart and Richard G. Taylor, from a story idea by Ivan Tors

Cast: Richard Egan, Constance Dowling, Herbert Marshall, John Wengraf

The science might be a bit dated, the Cold War paranoia a bit thick and the sexist behavior wince-inducing at times, but 1954's Gog is still quite entertaining.

A combination of an Agatha Christie novel and a Disney's "World of Tomorrow" documentary, the film delivers a taunt mystery and some suspenseful moments, while giving modern audiences a glimpse of the future our parents and grandparents envisioned for us.

Gog opens during a suspended animation experiment that results in the death of the lead scientist and his assistant. Both become trapped within the chamber when the door mechanism and control panels activate and trap them inside to freeze solid. Sure, you suspect the two could be revived, but the scientist falls out...

Gog is the long lost third film in director Herbert L Strock’s “Office of Scientific Investigation” trilogy, after 1953′s The Magnetic Monster and 1954′s Raiders To The Stars. The trilogy was not only critically well received, but also embraced by the scientific community, who appreciated Strock’s efforts to root his pictures in fact and with practical consideration, as opposed to flashing doodads and logic-defying technology. Gog was the strongest of the three efforts, and was released in 3-D, in color, and in the newly adopted widescreen format studios were just starting to take a serious look at. The film stars Richard Egan, Constance Dowling, Herbert Marshall, and John Wengraf.

Gog cover image courtesy MGM

Gog is credited as having influenced many of the “mad machinery” films in its wake, most notably, Jim Wynorski’s cult classic Chopping Mall (1986), a film about several mall security robots who go on a bloody rampage.

How we love getting news about long lost video obscurities resurfacing to find their fanbases! Two more weird titles are on their way from MGM as part of the studio's Manufactured On Demand DVD initiative, and we couldn't be happier!

Buyer beware - Mod titles come to you with full box art burned to a DVDr. If your DVD player has problems playing such things, you may want to skip these. Everyone else ... Have At It!

From the Press Release

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s “manufacturing on demand” (“Mod”) program continues to expand with the newest selection of films as part of MGM’s Limited Edition Collection. These releases will begin to become available through major online retailers starting on November 22nd.

Gog (1954) – A security agent investigates sabotage and murder at a secret underground laboratory, home of two experimental robots. Stars Herbert Marshall; Constance Dowling; Richard Egan. Directed by Herbert L. Strock.

Creator of film special effects who turned an 18-inch model ape into King Kong

In the history of cinema, many children have followed their mothers or fathers into the film business, but few offspring pursued the path of a parent more slavishly than Harry Redmond Jr, who has died aged 101. Like a master craftsman, Harry Redmond Sr passed on the skills of his trade to his son, the trade being the creation of special effects for films. Most notably, they worked together on King Kong (1933), in which a giant gorilla captures an actor, Ann Darrow, played by the "scream queen" Fay Wray.

The Redmonds were important members of the King Kong technical team under the supervision of Willis O'Brien, the pioneer of model animation. Part of their job was to integrate the stop-motion models and animatronics into live-action sequences by means of back projection and travelling mattes. Although the model...