Game of Thrones: Beyond The Wall Unveils New Combat And Story In Massive Update

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga comes to theaters later this month, and hopes are high after 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road was praised by critics and fans, and won six Academy Awards.

Reviews for the film have now begun to appear online ahead of its May 24 debut in the US, painting a picture of the movie’s critical reception. On GameSpot sister site Metacritic, Furiosa has an 83 metascore, while the film is rated 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. In short, critics are generally saying nice things about the movie. As always, though, your mileage may vary based on a wide variety of factors.

Furiosa stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the title character, Furiosa, a role that Oscar-winner Charlize Theron played in Fury Road. The filmmakers considered using de-aging technology to bring Theron back, but ultimately decided to cast someone new in the prequel.

Reflecting on the filmmaking experience, Taylor-Joy said she’s never felt more alone, in part because she stayed quiet a lot (she has about 30 lines of dialogue in the entire movie) and was instructed to mainly act with her eyes.

“We’re animals, and there’s a point where somebody just snaps,” Taylor-Joy said. “There’s one scream in that movie, and I am not joking when I tell you that I fought for that scream for three months. I will never regret this experience, on so many different levels, but it’s a very particular story to have. There’s not everyone in the world that has made a Mad Max movie, and I swear to God, everyone that I’ve met that has, there’s a look in our eyes: We know. There’s an immediate kinship of like, ‘OK, hey, I see you.'”

Chris Hemsworth plays the main villain, Dementus, and he recently reflected on how he felt liberated making the movie because it was so far removed from his Thor character in the MCU.

You can see a sampling of review scores and excerpts below and more critical consensus at GameSpot’s sister site Metacritic.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

• Directed by: George Miller
• Written by: George Miller, Nico Lathouris
• Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne
• Release Date: May 23 (Australia), May 24 (US)
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 2 hours, 28 minutes

The Hollywood Reporter – Unscored

“Furiosa is a big step down from Mad Max: Fury Road. Whereas the 2015 instant action classic had grit, gravitas and turbo-charged propulsion that wouldn’t quit, this fifth installment in the dystopian saga grinds on in fits and starts, with little tension or fluidity in a narrative whose shapelessness is heightened by its pretentious chapter structure.” — David Rooney [Full review]

IGN — 10/10

“George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga weaves a hero’s journey of epic proportions, ushering in a powerful reflection on what it means to live and love in a dying world.” — Lex Briscuso [Full review]

Indie Wire — A-

“How do we brave the world’s cruelties? By refusing to become them ourselves. Such an internally combusting prequel might seem like a strange lead-in to a movie that spit fire in every direction, but don’t you worry: George Miller still has what it takes to make it epic.” — David Ehrlich [Full review]

Polygon – Unscored

“Even as Furiosa is inevitably compared with Fury Road, both positively and negatively, put your trust in Miller’s weird, wild filmmaking. He’ll make you root for a near-silent hero in the face of insurmountable odds, and a demented villain who will go down alongside Fury Road’s Immortan Joe as a horrible new addition to Mad Max’s rogues gallery. Innovative and strange in the best ways, Furiosa repays that trust with a trip down a twisted cinematic rabbit hole that’ll likely once again redefine expectations for what an action film can be.” — Rosie Knight [Full review]

Variety – Unscored

“As much as I loved the character of Furiosa in Fury Road, do we really need to see her tangled, deep-dive-that-somehow-stays-on-the-surface origin story? It’ an impulse, at heart, that grows out of franchise culture, and maybe that’s why Furiosa, for all the tasty stuff in it, is a half-satisfying movie.” — Owen Gleiberman [Full review]

It might be almost 20 years old, but The Sims 2 just became the talk of the town. That’s because the Los Angeles Chargers utilized the video game to unveil their NFL schedule for the 2024-25 season.

The social media team for the Chargers “spent hours” in The Sims 2 to capture footage for the video–seen below–that reveals the football team’s weekly opponents. On X (formerly known as Twitter), Chargers senior director of social media Megan Julian noted the “entire thing was done in house by members of our content team.” It begins showing Sims wearing jerseys swimming in a pool. Then, the ladder is removed, leaving the Sims screaming for help.

The roughly three-and-a-half minute video is packed full of inside jokes revolving around the NFL and its stars. For instance, Sims for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother Jason are shown talking together, similar to their New Heights podcast. (They’ve chatted about reviving Backyard Football on that show, by the way.) Taylor Swift then pops up in a window for Travis, with the couple getting on a private jet to fly off somewhere.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers also gets roasted at the end of the video. Known for some outlandish views, Rodgers is seen terrified of a cell tower and then ends up holding an alien baby.

A reported leak mentioned that Madden NFL 25 could be announced as soon as today, building off the unveiling of team schedules yesterday. It will be intriguing to see how EA handles the name for the newest entry in the football franchise. Over a decade ago, Madden NFL 25 launched as a celebration of the 25-year anniversary for the series.

Remember Xenogears? A turn-based RPG from the height of Squaresoft’s dominance in the 1990s, it combined sci-fi and fantasy elements and a whole lot of mental illness troubles with giant mechs wailing on each other. It was pretty cool, and now you can bring a little part of that into your life with Square Enix’s model kit of the Siebzehn, one of the titular “Gears” of Xenogears. Amazon has the kit on sale for $148, down from its usual price of $170.

This is one of Square Enix’s Structure Arts Plus plastic model kits, which you’ll need to assemble and paint. It includes 206 pieces and stands at 7.5 inches tall, according to Square’s website. It also comes with two sets of alternate hands and a display stand so you can make your Siebzehn look battle-ready.

The Siebzehn isn’t the only Xenogears model you can nab on Amazon. You can also get the other mechs from the game–there’s Weltall, Vierge, Heimdall, and Brigandier in one set for $95, and Crescens, Renmazuo, and the eponymous Xenogears for $130.

Amazon has a few other Square Enix mech models as well, from a variety of different games. Check out the list below.

Amazon Square Enix Model Kit Deals

The world of Middle-earth encompasses much more than just the history told throughout The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. While Frodo, Gandalf, Samwise, Bilbo, and Gollum might be some of the most familiar faces to fans of Middle-earth, J.R.R. Tolkien masterfully built his fantasy world with a staggering amount of details–all of which can be read in The History of Middle-earth series. Compiled and edited from Tolkien’s manuscripts and notes by his son Christopher Tolkien, The History of Middle-earth was originally published in the 1980s and ’90s. It has received multiple reissues since, but none of them are as stunning as the 2024 editions.

The second of four box sets released this week, with two more to follow in coming months. Notably, you can save big on the first two box sets and preorders for the final two sets at Amazon.

The History of Middle-earth – 2024 hardcover box sets

The History of Middle-earth Box Set 1 is discounted to just $77 (down from $125). That’s the lowest price yet for the recently released box set. Along with a gorgeous case to hold and display the books, you’ll get four hardcovers–The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, Book of Lost Tales Part One, and Book of Lost Tales Part Two. All told, that’s over 1,500 pages of Tolkien goodness.

You’ll also find The History of Middle-earth Box Set 2 up for grabs, as it just launched on May 14. The collection is now just $82 (down from $125) and includes The Lays of Beleriand, The Shaping of Middle-earth, and The Lost Road. It’s a bit smaller than the first box set at 1,264 pages, but should still keep you busy for quite some time.

To complete the collection, you can check out preorders for Box Set 3 and Box Set 4. These don’t release until August and September (respectively), but they’re seeing 10% price cuts today. It’s also worth noting that if you preorder either of the last two box sets, you’ll get Amazon’s preorder price guarantee. You won’t pay until your order ships, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the prices drop closer to the first two sets before launch.

While the above box sets look sleek and make a great companion for any bookcase, you don’t have to wait months to check out all the books in the collection. As mentioned, these Tolkien stories have been around for ages, so you can dive into The Complete History of Middle-earth hardcover box set for $142 (down from $250) to read through all the above stories. This set has a more understated design that feels somewhat fitting for history books, though all 12 books are compiled in three massive volumes. Just be aware that these are heavy books; after all, you’re getting a staggering 5,440 pages across the three volumes.

If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan but are unsure if you’d enjoy The History of Middle-earth series, there are more affordable options, too. The Silmarillion, which is book one in the series and by far the best-known of the bunch, has a beautiful edition illustrated by the author that’s on sale for $30 (was $75). Alternatively, you can get the first five books in the series in a paperback box set for only $35. During Amazon’s book sale (ends May 20), you can snag the Kindle version of The Silmarillion for two bucks and the paperback for $11.49.

If you’re interested in fancy editions of Tolkien’s most famous works, The Lord of the Rings Illustrated Edition is on sale for $39 at Amazon (was $90), while The Hobbit is available for $43. Finally, the mesmerizing Lord of the Rings: Special Edition is over 50% off on Amazon.

It seems like players will need an internet connection to install Assassin’s Creed Shadows if they purchase the game physically.

According to the game’s physical box at retailers like GameStop, there’s a notice at the bottom left corner that says, “Internet required to install the game.” There’s also some conflicting information. The notice doesn’t specify that an always-online connection is required to play the game–only just to install it. However, the PlayStation Store’s listing states that online play is required, suggesting that players need to have an internet connection in order to play it.

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