The world lost a legend when Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama passed away this year, but like all of life's great artists, his legacy lives on through his work. If you've ever wanted to marvel at his talent for drawing awe-inspiring landscapes, pulse-pounding action scenes, and intricately detailed machinery, then you won't want to miss out on Dragon Ball: A Visual History, a stunning hardcover book that's now back in stock at Amazon.
Even better, the book has gotten a substantial discount from its regular price of $50, as you can grab it for just $25 right now. A comprehensive history of the manga, the book showcases manga art, additional promotional material, creator commentary, notes, sketches, and posters from throughout the history of the original Dragon Ball series. Alongside full-color artwork and rarely-seen sketches, it also comes with a dust jacket to protect it.
In case it sells out again, there are some other great Akira Toriyama books to check out as well. Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition is a stunning and in-depth hardcover collection of over 500 illustrations from the Dragon Quest video games that Toriyama worked on and Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater is a collection of short stories spanning the first few decades of his career.
Video game prop weapons are commonly seen in collections or at conventions. But it's a bad idea to carry around a replica video game weapon that has an actual blade attached to it. Anthony Bray, a resident of Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England discovered this the hard way when police arrested him last month for carrying a replica of Link's Master Sword from The Legend of Zelda.
Via the Warwickshire police, Bray has been sentenced to four months in prison for carrying a bladed article in public. According to the report, Bray was spotted by officers on June 8 with the Master Sword in his hands as he walked down the street. However, it's important to note that this wasn't simply some toy prop. There was a real blade attached on this Master Sword.
Anthony Bray has been sentenced to four months in prison after being found in possession of a bladed article in public - a small replica of the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda games
Bray told officers that he purchased the Master Sword replica online, and intended to use it as a "fidget toy" to keep his hands busy. Bray also told officers that he didn't plan on using the sword as a weapon. But since he was openly carrying blade in public, Bray broke the law whether he intended to or not.
Deadpool and Wolverine is the superhero comeback for more than just Hugh Jackman. As revealed in an early trailer for the film, Aaron Stanford is reprising his role as John Allerdyce aka Pyro, a part he portrayed in the first three X-Men movies from 2000 to 2006. There are several other cameos expected in the film, but since Stanford was among the first to be shown, the actor is finally able to talk about his return to the franchise after 18 years.
In X-Men and X2: X-Men United, the films re-envisioned John as a student at Professor Xavier's school and a friend to Bobby Drake/Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and Rogue (Anna Paquin). Near the end of X2, Magneto (Ian McKellen) recruits John, who starts going by his chosen codename, Pyro. During X-Men: The Last Stand, Pyro was a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants, but he didn't get a real supervillain costume. While speaking with EW, Stanford revealed that Pyro's lack of a proper outfit has been rectified.
"I was just very happy to even have a costume," said Stanford. "In the original X-Men films, Pyro gets really shortchanged in terms of a costume. In X2, we start off with Pyro in Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants. The SWAT team bursts in in the middle of the night and we have to flee. So for half the movie, I'm in my jammies. I never got the cool leather, tactical suit that all the X-Men wear. And in X3, I was just dressed in an ensemble from Hot Topic, basically. So to have him be in a proper superhero costume that was actually taken from the comics themselves was very cool."
Next year's Superman reboot is the first film to share that title since the 1978 movie starring Christopher Reeve. Although Reeve passed away in 2004, director James Gann is including a nod to the late star in his Superman movie by featuring Reeve's son, Will Reeve, in a cameo role.
Via Cleveland.com, Will Reeve, who is a real-life reporter for ABC, will portray a TV reporter in Superman. In the outlet's footage from the shoot, Reeve's character is seen making a report on the streets of Metropolis. According to the outlet, Reeve’s character and the other extras in his scene were seen reacting to another superhero who arrives during this sequence. However, the report doesn't mention which hero it was. After filming his scene, Reeve was spotted hugging Gunn, and he was also given a round of applause from the cast and crew.
The first Superman movie established the tradition of former actors in the franchise making cameo appearances in the modern films. Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill, who previously portrayed Superman and Lois Lane respectively, appeared in the movie as Lois Lane's parents during a scene that was initially cut from the film. Reeve kept that tradition alive even after he was paralyzed from a horseback riding accident in 1995. In 2003 and 2004, Reeve made two guest appearances as as Dr. Virgil Swann on Smallville opposite Tom Welling's Clark Kent.
Hugh Jackman returns to play Wolverine once again in this month's Deadpool & Wolverine, but the career-defining role almost never materialized for the Australian actor. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jackman and Marvel boss Kevin Feige discussed Jackman's legacy as Wolverine, going back to their first meeting in 1999 and Jackman's first tryout for the role (and a steak dinner that followed).
The actor Dougray Scott was already signed on to play Wolverine in X-Men, but a commitment for Mission: Impossible 2 forced Scott to leave X-Men during filming (Scott would later say Tom Cruise forbade him from doing both films at the same time). This led to a last-minute recast for Wolverine, and that's where Jackman came in.
When Jackman came to Toronto for his own tryout for Wolverine, things didn't seem to go very well. He said he recalls reading lines for director Bryan Singer and writer Tom DeSanto. Jackman said it was a tense audition, held in the director's trailer during a lunch break. "I could tell he was like, 'Why on my lunch hour am I auditioning some guy for a part that I've already cast?' He was pissed off," Jackman said of DeSanto.
Microsoft Office 2019 is on sale for only $25 at StackSocial. If you don't mind not having the latest updates and features present in Microsoft 365--the $70 per year subscription service Microsoft sells--you're getting quite the bargain here. This deal is only available through July 5.
Office 2019 Professional Plus for PC works with Windows 10 and 11. Mac users can also get a deal on the Office 2019 Home and Business edition, but it's not discounted as steeply as the Windows version. Discounted to $40, the Mac edition is compatible with the current version of macOS (Sonoma) as well as the previous two major revisions: Monterey (12) and Ventura (13).
There are a few caveats to these two incredible deals. The first is that they're for Microsoft Office 2019--which is obviously a few years old and lacks some modern features found in the current version. The second is that this can only be installed on one PC or Mac. But considering how budget-friendly this deal is, those potential snags can probably be overlooked. Even for just the most popular trio of programs--Word, Excel, and PowerPoint--$25 is a really low price. Heck, it's a good price for the ubiquitous word processor on its own.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero was revealed during June's Nintendo Direct, giving fans of the series their first look at this quirky strategy RPG from the makers of Disgaea that's set to launch on PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch sometime in 2025. Ahead of its arrival, you can now preorder Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero Deluxe Edition, which comes with a few collectibles. Here's everything you need to know before placing a preorder.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero Preorder Bonuses
There are currently no preorder bonuses for Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero. The game doesn't yet have a firm release date, so it's possible preorder bonuses could be revealed once a specific date is set. We'll be sure to update this section if anything is announced.
Oddly enough, there's no standard edition of The Lost Hero up for preorder. That makes this deluxe edition the cheapest (and only) way to get your hands on the game. Along with the game, you'll get a download code for a digital soundtrack and a softcover art book. Preorders are available for PS5, PS4, and Switch. Along with Amazon, you can place your order at Best Buy.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a strategy RPG that follows the game's heroine, Marona, venturing out to save her friend, Ash. Along the way, she'll use a special power to interact with phantoms scattered through the world, enabling her to unleash unique abilities in combat. Throughout the journey, you'll meet over 50 characters and attempt to master over 300 skills--giving you plenty of ways to customize your fighting style. Toss in a tactical turn-based system that uses free movement on a gridless map, and you've got a strategic RPG that's shaping up to be a great successor to the original Phantom Brave from 2004.
Like everything else in Destiny 2 in the aftermath of The Final Shape, the Iron Banner has been altered. The PvP event now sports a two-week duration instead of one and is adding two weapons to its current pool of rewards--both of which are former Iron Banner weapons that now have new perks and rolls. The first of those, Claws of the Wolf, is an extremely deadly pulse rifle with a lot of aim assist that might help you snap some headshots over the next two weeks of competition.
You can get Claws of the Wolf easily enough from Iron Banner, but there are a lot of combinations you probably won't want, especially with its mixed-up perk pool. Here's how you can nab Claws of the Wolf and what perks are worth chasing on it.
Now that Claws of the Wolf is back in the Iron Banner loot pool, there are a couple of ways to get ahold of one. The simplest is to just play Iron Banner matches--there's a chance that, with each match, you'll get a random weapon or armor drop, and that drop might be Claws of the Wolf. Even with only playing a handful of matches, I've already nabbed two, and since there are so many Pinnacle rewards and Iron Banner challenges to complete, odds are good that you'll get a few without any thought required.
Blaze Entertainment has kept busy this year, with Street Fighter and Mega Man countertop cabinets arriving on November 28 and the Evercade EXP-R and VS-R dropping later this month. As if the team wasn't busy enough, two new Super Pocket handhelds from Hyper Mega Tech, an Evercade spin-off, are arriving this October--the Super Pocket Atari Edition and Super Pocket Technos Edition. They'll be available to preorder on July 31, and like the Evercade EXP-R and VS-R, we'd expect these retro handhelds to be quite popular at Amazon and Best Buy--the two major US retailers that currently carry the Super Pocket.
If you you like the look of these Game Boy-style handhelds and don't want to wait, Taito and Capcom Super Pockets are available now for $60 each at Amazon.
The Super Pocket Atari Edition is loaded with 50 classic games, including arcade hits like Asteroids, Berzerk, Crystal Castles, and Frenzy, as well as home console and handheld games including Adventure and Dark Chambers. You'll also be able to find a special edition of the handheld featuring a woodgrain shell, which features the same games but is limited to just 2600 units. Unlike preorders for the other two Super Pockets, preorders for this limited-edition model are now open.
Note: The Amazon and Best Buy links below are placeholder links, but once preorders go live, you should be able easily spot them using these links.
These slim handhelds feature a 2.8-inch IPS display, work with existing Evercade cartridges, and use an innovative UI that lets you quickly dive into your favorite games. Support for Evercade cartridges is a big part of the Super Pocket's appeal, as it gives you access to a library of over 500 games across 50 cartridges, including remastered versions of classic Duke Nukem games, the first three Tomb Raider games (upcoming), arcade and home computer classics, and modern retro games like the gorgeous platformer Goodboy Galaxy.
Code the Classics aims to teach new programmers and nostalgic fans alike how to create retro games inspired by classics from the '70s and '80s. Published by Raspberry Pi Press, and featuring games coded by Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton, Code the Classics will be published across two volumes in the coming months. Volume 1 is set to release on August 27, while Volume 2 will be available starting November 12. Both books are available to preorder now for $30 at Amazon.
It's worth noting that Volume 1 originally released in 2019. The upcoming release is the second, revised edition, with more content. Volume 2 is a brand-new release. The first edition of Volume 1 was well-received at launch and currently holds a 4.5/5 star user review average at Amazon.
The First Descendant launched today for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Given its free-to-play and multiplayer structure, The First Descendant would benefit from mechanics such as cross-play and cross-progression with different platforms. Cross-play lets players play with and against each other, regardless if they're on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox. Cross-progression lets players carry over progress from one platform to the other.
The good news is that The First Descendant supports both cross-play and cross-progression between PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. However, players must sign up for a Nexon account in order to use cross-progression. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to activate cross-save.
Click on the icon of the platform you're playing on (Steam, PlayStation, Xbox)
You'll redirected to the login page for that platform and now enter your credentials
When you're logged in, authorize the link between your game account and platform
Follow the rest of the instructions and complete the authorization process
The First Descendant has had a strong start so far, with over 200,000 concurrent players today on Steam, peaking at #5 on the Steam's most played games list. The Destiny-like game follows the Descendants who have special powers to fight against the Vulgus, a race of aliens seeking the destruction of the fictional world of Ingris.
If you're in the market for a new PS5, PS4, or even PC controller, one of the best premium options available now is the Victrix Pro BFG. This high-end modular controller offers a wealth of versatility, superb ergonomics, and ample customization features that make it an ideal choice for those who want a more feature-rich controller than the standard DualSense (or most PC controllers). For a limited time, you can save on two different models of the Victrix Pro BFG's PlayStation edition at Amazon.
Stardew Valley, the massive indie farming simulator, lets you and up to three friends run a farm together, via online play or couch co-op. However, since multiplayer was added post-launch and the majority of development is done by one person, there are a few modern features missing from the multiplayer. One of those features is cross-platform play, which isn't in Stardew Valley.
Stardew Valley cross-platform details
Stardew Valley currently does not have cross-platform multiplayer, and it seems likely that it never will. That means if you want to play multiplayer, everyone will need to be in the same family of platforms, like Xbox or PlayStation. If one person is on Nintendo Switch and the other is on PC, you cannot play together.
Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone--also known as ConcernedApe--has not commented on cross-platform multiplayer in recent years, but did mention back in 2018 that "technical barriers are very high," expressing that it's a feature that he would want to add, but it might not be possible. The developers comments are reminiscent of those from Bethesda's Todd Howard, who discussed why Fallout 76 doesn't have cross-play, citing difficulty in adding it to a game that wasn't initially designed for it.
Another month has dawned, and that means Humble has another bundle of PC games available for its Humble Choice subscribers ($12/month). This month, there are eight games available in the bundle, including some big-name indie sequels like A Plague Tale: Requiem and Ghostrunner 2, plus a selection of shooters, strategy games, and action games, all of which are yours to keep forever, even if you cancel your Humble Choice subscription. On top of the games, this month's bundle also includes a surprising bonus: a month of DC Universe Infinite, which lets you read thousands of DC Comics in the DC Universe app.
Bonus: One-month subscription to DC Universe Infinite
This month's headliner is A Plague Tale: Requiem, a steath/action sequel about a teen girl and her little brother trying to survive during the Black Death. It's a particularly fascinating sequel, because the first game came out in late 2019 just months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Reqiuem was released in 2022--you can see in this game a bit of that shift in perspective that we all experienced over the past four years.
Ghostrunner 2, another glossy indie, is a parkour-based action game in which the player and their enemies alike die with a single hit from a blade--this franchise is like Mirror's Edge and Dishonored had a baby that was really intense but also fun. And it's nice to have a hardcore action game that skews away from soulslike norms.
BioWare's upcoming fantasy RPG, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, has a lot of changes to the way combat works, and one of them is a "no death" setting that allows players to avoid having their character die mid-combat.
"[None of the difficulty settings] are a cheat," game director Corrine Busche recently explained (via Game Informer). "It's an option to make sure players of all abilities can show up."
The game includes four difficulty settings: Storyteller, Adventurer, Nightmare, and Unbound. Nightmare offers an intense challenge, and once you select that mode, it's permanent, unlike the other difficulty options. Meanwhile, Unbound exists as a customizable mode where players can tweak specific aspects of combat, like the amount of damage done to enemies and the amount of damage received by them.
Nearly two decades ago, Redbox's ubiquitous movie rental kiosks helped put video rental stores out of business. Now, Redbox's parent company, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, is facing bankruptcy and serious questions about its future.
Via Deadline, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week after the company was reportedly late paying its employees while also slashing medical benefits. According to a message sent to employees, Chicken Soup applied for a debtor in possession loan that will allow it to make payroll and reinstate the lost medical benefits.
The bankruptcy filing has been made public, and it reveals that Chicken Soup owes $970 million to its unsecured creditors including Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Paramount, Universal Studios, Lionsgate, and Walmart. That's not counting the company's secured creditors, including the banks that lent money to Chicken Soup.
Like clockwork, Microsoft has announced what titles will soon be leaving Xbox Game Pass. On July 15, five games will exit the subscription service, headlined by Toem and Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion.
While they're vastly different experiences, both games garnered positive reviews from GameSpot. The Toem review noted that it's a "charming little photo adventure," while the Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion review describes it as "an excellent game."
The other three games leaving Game Pass in the middle of the month are Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly, Figment 2: Creed Valley, and The Wandering Village. Don't forget that Game Pass subscribers can buy all of these titles for 20% off until they're removed from the service on July 15.
When Ridley Scott's Alien hit theaters in 1979, it was only his second theatrical film and he had no idea it would become franchise. But as Alien celebrates its 45th anniversary this year, Scott regrets that he wasn't asked to direct Aliens or Alien 3, which were respectively helmed by James Cameron and David Fincher.
"I was slow out the starting gate," Scott told Vanity Fair. "I mean, I should have done the sequels to Alien and to Blade Runner. You change over the years. At that time, I didn't want to go through it again. So Jim Cameron came in--and then David Fincher--on [Alien 3]."
Scott eventually returned to the Alien franchise for the prequel film Prometheus in 2012, before helming its direct sequel, Alien: Covenant, in 2017. Regardless, Scott still seems a bit upset that 20th Century Fox didn't bring him back sooner.
On July 6, the next WWE PLE arrives on Peacock: Money in the Bank. This year's event will take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The last time WWE held a PLE in Canada was 2023's Elimination Chamber in Quebec, and for Toronto, the last PLE was 2019's Summerslam. Needless to say, WWE fans in Toronto will be pumped for this event.
The majority of the matches will continue or wrap up storylines featured on Raw and Smackdown. However, the highlight of the evening will be the men's and women's Money in the Bank ladder matches. In each match, six wrestlers will have the opportunity to climb a ladder to grab a briefcase, which contains a World Championship match contract.
Aside from those two MITB matches, there is even more to be excited about. The new incarnation of The Bloodline, which we're calling The Bloodline V.2, has been a chaotic force in WWE, even without the star power of Roman Reigns and the Usos to keep them afloat. The only difference between this current incarnation of this Bloodline and the original version is that current members The Tongas (Formerly known as the Guerrillas of Destiny in NJPW) are not part of the Anoaʻi family. This team will be taking on some of WWE's biggest faces: Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes.
There's also Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn defending his title against Bron Breakker, who is exceptionally good at running at people and smashing into them so hard that they are completely destroyed.
If you're looking for all the info you need to know about the upcoming PLE, then you've come to the right place. After you're done checking that out, why not revisit Money in the Bank 2020, one of the most unique and weird PLEs in the company's history.
How to watch Money in the Bank:
If you want to know who leave with the coveted Money in the Bank briefcases, then you'll have to subscribe to Peacock, which includes other WWE live events and costs $6 a month. There's also the $12 a month option which allows you to download content for offline viewing and watch movies or TV shows without ads. If you're a premium subscriber, what you'll get during WWE PLEs instead of commercials is video recaps of the various feuds leading into matches.
There are multiple ways to watch Peacock. Aside from watching it on mobile devices and PC, you can stream the service on Amazon Fire devices, Android TV, Apple TV, LG Smart TVs, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xfinity, and more.
Start time for Money in the Bank:
4 PM PT
6 PM CT
7 PM ET
12 AM BST (July 7)
9 PAM AEST (July 7)
WWE continues to host events in other countries. However, this time around, the start time is a lot better for people in North America. This year's MITB will be hosted by Toronto, Ontario in Canada. Like other WWE PLEs, there will be a Kickoff Show featuring a panel of familiar faces discussing the upcoming matches. For those who aren't caught up on Raw and Smackdown, it's actually a great way to catch up on the stories.
Match card for Money in the Bank:
Below, you'll find the match card for the WWE event. As of this writing, there are five bouts on the card. Don't expect much to change leading up to the PLE.
Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre (Money in the Bank ladder match)
Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark (Money in the Bank ladder match)
Damian Priest (c) vs. Seth Rollins (World Heavyweight Championship)
Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tanga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu)
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Bron Breakker (Intercontinental Championship)
Predictions
Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tanga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu)
This card feels stacked in favor of Rhodes, Orton, and Owens--some of the top faces in WWE. But considering they're facing a four-man group, someone else may be added to their team. However, Bloodline V.2 needs to establish itself as a credible force inside the ring. They've been great at being a disruptive force, but this major match needs to show the WWE locker room that they shouldn't be messed with. There's two ways that this can go: The Bloodline V.2 destroys the other team or someone from Bloodline V.1 pops in to get V.2 DQ'd. I think it's going to be the former.
Winners: The Bloodline V.2
Predictions
Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark (Money in the Bank ladder match)
There are still wrestlers that have not been announced for this match, but it feels like there's still a good story that can come out of this. At Wrestlemania, Iyo Sky lost the WWE Women's Championship to Bayley. Shortly after, Damage Control was drafted to Raw. So while Bayley and Sky are on separate brands, if Sky wins, she could--in theory--challenge Bayley for the title, and that would be a fantastic moment for Summerslam. The last announced participants for the MITB match could change the prediction of this match, but as of this writing, I firmly believe Sky will win.
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