Shadow of the Tomb Raider receives an official September release date alongside first trailer

           Shadow of the Tomb Raider

After months of rumours, Square Enix has finally officially confirmed the existence of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the latest entry in the long-running platforming franchise.

Announcing the news on Twitter, Square Enix revealed the game’s debut trailer, release date (September 14th, 2018), and confirmed that the game would be seeing a release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC

With Rise of the Tomb Raider now three years old, a sequel has been due for a while. We’ve unofficially known about the new game for months now thanks to numerous leaks of internal documents, and previously the official site’s source code has hinted at a September 2018 release.

Trusted Reviews has compiled everything you need to know about Shadow of the Tomb Raider including all of the latest news, rumours, release date info, trailers and more.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider News

Although we now know the game’s official title and release date, details of what will feature in the game are currently scarce. A full reveal has been promised on April 27th however, so we won’t have to wait long to find out more about the upcoming game.

An April reveal is interesting, as it points towards Square Enix deciding against using E3 2018 to make its first announcement. We wouldn’t rule out the game appearing on the show floor, but it’s unclear how many new details there’ll be available at the show.

What is Shadow of the Tomb Raider?

Once again helmed by seasoned developer Crystal Dynamics, Shadow of the Tomb Raider will continue the adventures of Lara Croft as she discovers ancient cities, artifacts and spooky skeletons. It is unconfirmed whether Trinity, the mercenary group from the previous game, will remain as the core antagonists.

Either way, you can expect the usual combination of platforming, combat and exploration with a tightly woven narrative.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider release date – when is it coming out?

On March 15th, the official Tomb Raider Twitter account confirmed that the game will be released on September 14th, 2018.

The account also confirmed that the game will be released on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. With the previous game, Rise of the Tomb Raider, having been a central part of the Xbox One X’s release last November, we’re almost certain that the game will be X-enhanced when it comes out.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider – 5 things we’d like to see

Better storytelling

Rise of the Tomb Raider told an involving yet predictable tale with faceless mercenaries and inevitable betrayals forming the crux of its narrative. The spotlight was clearly on Lara herself, who proved to be a strong and capable lead amongst an otherwise unimaginative supporting cast. Shadow of the Tomb Raider would benefit from an in-depth character study of our favourite treasure hunter, addressing the ludo-narrative dissonance of past games.

Give Lara an end goal worthy of our emotional investment instead of yet another generic artifact for her to hunt down before the bad guys do. The formula worked incredibly well for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, with the pirate’s treasure taking a backseat to Nathan Drake and his struggling relationships.

More imaginative enemies

Tomb Raider and its excellent sequel housed a solid combat system, however, the foes you fought were far too bland. You had your normal soldiers, ranged enemies and heavy variants, all of which felt direly generic. Crystal Dynamics has an opportunity to really shake things up a bit, throwing out the boring mercenaries in favour of adversaries actually worth fighting. Lara is a tough gal, and will surely have no problem dispatching a few supernatural nasties. Just don’t go full Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. No aliens!

Croft Manor hub world

Crystal Dynamics has been chasing the Uncharted formula ever since the reboot launched back in 2013. The focus has clearly been on the tight platforming and bombastic set pieces that defined Naughty Dog’s masterful series. That’s all well and good, and Tomb Raider has done a fantastic job of crafting a unique identity, but it’s still missing something. Hardened fans of Lara Croft will have fond memories of Croft Manor back on PS1.

You freely roamed the grounds solving puzzles and locking people in freezers. You know, the usual stuff. Shadow of the Tomb Raider could introduce a home to store all your hard fought collectibles and track progress. It would also help break up the monotony of the fairly linear solo campaign, giving you a place to return after all the chaos.

No timed exclusivity!

Fans around the world reacted in anger when Rise of the Tomb Raider was unveiled as a timed exclusive for Xbox One, leaving behind two of the platforms its predecessor had launched on. Fast forward to 2016 and it’s available on all platforms, but the sting of that initial announcement can still be felt. With any luck, Crystal Dynamics will have Shadow of the Tomb Raider debut on all platforms simultaneously with no exclusivity nonsense blurring the lines.

Horde Mode

Above all else, Rise of the Tomb Raider was an excellent third-person shooter with some memorable, intense firefights. Luckily, it seldom spammed you with endless waves of enemies to kill. It always knew when to focus on puzzle solving or transition to a cutscene. It struck a clever balance that never got boring. That being said, it’d be nice to jump into a mode that focused purely on combat.

If anything, Tomb Raider is more capable of a successful horde mode than Gears of War. Lara Croft is incredibly resourceful, possessing a range of useful guns and gadgets. Imagine using these to defend a specific environment, holding back enemies with devilishly handmade traps. There are plenty of side characters to fulfill the roles of your friends, making such a mode ideal for couch co-op and online play.

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Far Cry 5 Preview

Far Cry 5 Release date ,and review

Available March 27 on PS4, Xbox One and PC

Ubisoft knows how to create charismatic, iconic antagonists. We’ve had Far Cry 3’s Vas, Pagan Min in Far Cry 4, and now, in the Seed family’s leader, Joseph, we have perhaps the most captivating. At once absorbing, endearing and terrifying, ‘Father’ has the potential to be the driving force of the most exciting story in the series to date.

Buy Far Cry 5 from Amazon UK | Amazon.com

The trouble comes when this story takes a step back and Far Cry begins proper, and we get an experience we’ve had for years: a bombastic game where utter chaos is your ally. While this is undoubtedly still great fun, its familiarity can’t help but diminish your excitement after the gripping, fresh premise.

The Seed family’s introduction is superb. As a young deputy, you join the local county sheriff, US Marshall and another deputy sent into the Project at Eden’s Gate to arrest Joseph Seed, aka ‘The Father’. Arriving via helicopter in the dead of night, the Sheriff – intimately familiar with the Seed family and its influence across Hope County – is reluctant to storm the compound. The US Marshall, meanwhile, believes badge beats blind faith.

There’s an almost tangible sense of foreboding as the team exits the chopper. The cultists follow the group at a predatory pace, all armed to the teeth with machine guns, flamethrowers and bats. Dogs bark behind wire fences, chatter occurs all around as groups strategise our swift exit, dead or alive. Getting to the church, Joseph is delivering a sermon, which the Marshall gladly interrupts.

Joseph doesn’t resist, offering the player his hands, but with a warning: ‘they’ will not let you take me. The voice acting is once again stellar across the board, led by the incredible Joseph. I hang on his every word, and when he stops, I barely breathe until he speaks again. He really is the embodiment of a charismatic cult leader.

Naturally, all hell breaks loose, culminating in lives lost on both sides, and you’re forced to flee into the woods. This is where Far Cry 5 the game takes over, and as great as it is to play, I can’t help but yearn for more of the scene I just left behind.

It’s important to note that everything Far Cry 5 does, it does better than the series has ever done. Shooting feels sharper, more refined. Stealth now feels like a viable option that doesn’t inevitably lead to everything being on fire. You can now take down entire compounds without anybody knowing you were ever there – and that doesn’t mean setting a tiger loose to maintain anonymity.

It’s also a visually stunning game. On PS4 Pro, the fields of Montana bloom with lush greens, reds and yellows. Fires explode with a destructive beauty. There’s an excellent amount of detail across the board.

Mission design has improved too, with everything you do working towards building a resistance meter in each region of Hope County, to lower the influence the controlling Seed family member has on the area. The more people you rescue, compounds you take down or Eden’s Gate property you destroy, the more the bar fills and the greater your influence is in liberating the town from the cult. This means that, however you choose to play, you’ll be rewarded.

But it’s all very familiar. The one thing the game doesn’t do is steer you in any way back towards the core narrative, and this works to its detriment.

In my three-ish hours with the game, all I wanted to do was face the Seed family, and see so much more of the Father, but after that incredible opening 20 minutes, I never dealt with him again.

While I was having fun taking down outposts, driving around and killing cult members, finding little offshoot missions and enjoying the spontaneity of a chaotic world that Ubisoft is so good at, the prevalent thought was how much I wanted to be dealing with the Seed family head-on.

I wanted the game to play much more like Resident Evil 7, another game that created an amazing premise centred around a family that served as the focal point of the experience, the pre-eminent threat that I wanted to flee and never be too far away from in equal measure. It was a beautiful balancing act that’s achieved through having such superb lead villains. Far Cry 5 has created something similar in Joseph Seed, but from my experience with the opening hours it hasn’t capitalised on that to anywhere near the same extent.

This is such a shame, especially when my biggest highlight outside of the intro came in a narrative sequence against Joseph’s elder brother, Jacob.

Jacob is a military man, offered no pension and no support after being severely injured in the line of duty. He doesn’t truly believe in Joseph’s message, but Joseph has given Jacob a purpose through Eden’s Gate, and that’s enough for him.

As a military vet, Jacob is not to be trifled with, and so the mission plays out: you’re kidnapped and held in an undisclosed location, where Jacob leaves you in a room with two other captives, told to kill to survive. Grabbing a gun on the table and killing these two other men, it soon becomes apparent that you’ve been drugged, and what unfolds is an incredibly psychedelic military training drill reminiscent of the one seen in the opening of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Except the enemies are actual people – albeit figments of your imagination.

It’s an incredible level that makes excellent use of Far Cry’s brilliant gunplay, vibrant colours unseen since Blood Dragon, and some solid platforming to boot. Again, it’s memorable because it’s different, which I wish was true for more of what I played in this preview.

Latest impressions

Obviously I’ve played just a small snippet of the final game, so there’s every chance that Joseph and his family feature far more prominently in Far Cry 5 – but based on that time, the ratio in which they’re present is way off balance for me.

The narrative setup and Joseph Seed are so brilliant they’re almost deserving of their own IP. So much of Far Cry 5’s promotion and presentation has focused on the story, and that’s because it’s so strong. This makes it even more disappointing how soon the story fades into the background and the familiar outpost battles, bear hunts and quest collecting take centre stage.

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Dream-Like Video Captures Minke Whale Gliding Beneath Antarctic Ice

Dream-Like Video Captures Minke Whale Gliding Beneath Antarctic Ice

In what looks like a stereotypical hallucination of a whale floating beneath puffy clouds, rare footage reveals a very real minke whale swimming with sinuous grace beneath a blanket of floating ice chunks.

The dream-like whale video was captured by Regina Eisert, a marine mammal expert at the University of Canterbury, in New Zealand, during a recent Antarctic expedition. She was trying out a new underwater-camera prototype designed by Anthony Powell, an Antarctic filmmaker at production company Antzworks, only realizing later that she might have captured the first underwater video of a minke whale in sea ice in the Ross Sea, she said.

"The whole whale glides past — this is such a lucky shot," Eisert said in a statement, referring to the footage. [In Photos: Tracking Humpback Whales in the South Pacific Ocean]

These black-and-white minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) can grow to be 33 feet (10 meters) long and weigh some 10 tons (9 metric tons), according to Antarctica New Zealand, the government agency responsible for carrying out New Zealand's scientific and environmental-protection projects in Antarctica. Like other baleen whales, minke whales use sieve-like plates in their mouths to filter out tiny prey for food. In the case of minke whales, they filter out krill, which are small crustaceans near the bottom of the Southern Ocean's food web.

In the video, the whale pokes one of its distinct flippers, showing off a diagonal white band on its surface. Then, it pushes its nose through a patch of water, launching a mist through its blowhole.

"The plan was to film continuously across the icebreaker channel that is prepared for the re-supply vessel to cross McMurdo Sound," Eisert said in the statement. "The water's so clear, you can see right across the 50-80 m [160 to 260 feet] lane and monitor all the whales that use the channel. Unfortunately, the system only recorded for just a few hours, due to 'teething problems' for this new technology in the field."

Eisert added, "We had no idea that we had this footage until Anthony found it when checking the camera back in Christchurch [New Zealand]."

During the research expeditions, Eisert and her team not only take pictures but also, when they can, take samples from the whales.

"We can learn so much from a small tissue sample, such as their diet — we think they just eat krill, but do they eat small fish as well?" Eisert asked. "Also, DNA analysis can tell us whether Ross Sea minkes are separate from other minke whales on the Antarctic Peninsula or farther north, or if they are all part of one larger population."

Minke whales may also be responsible for a mysterious ocean sound, dubbed the Western Pacific Biotwang, that incorporates low-frequency moaning with a high-pitched twangy sound, according to scientists who recorded the never-heard-before whale call in the Mariana Trench in 2016. Minke whales were also found to be the culprits of a "bio-duck" sound often recorded in the Southern Ocean, Live Science previously reported.

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METRO EXODUS

Metro Exodus release date, gameplay, trailer, story info and all the latest news

4A Games’ Metro franchise is an excellent survival horror FPS series, the first two entries of which were remastered for modern consoles in Metro Redux. Now, the third instalment is on the way in the form of Metro Exodus.

Taking the series open-world, Exodus is already shaping up to be something special.

TrustedReviews has compiled everything you need to know about Metro Exodus including all the latest news, release date info, trailers and more.

What is Metro Exodus?

Based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s popular novels, Metro Exodus is intended as the third instalment in a series that started back in 2010 with Metro 2033. Instead of being restricted to dank subway tunnels and brief pockets of Moscow Ruins, players will now have a much larger range of environments to explore.

Metro Exodus release date – When is it coming out?

4A Games’ confirmed at E3 that Metro Redux will be arriving on PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2018. It’ll also be playable in 4K on Xbox One X.

Metro Exodus gameplay – How does it play?

Metro Exodus is a first-person survival horror spanning across linear, claustrophobic environments and wide-open spaces to explore, as shown by the recent reveal trailer. While navigating the post-apocalyptic Russian Federation, players will have to keep themselves well-equipped and prepared for a manner of radioactive horrors.

Just like past games, a gas mask will have to be worn outside. Filters must be swapped to ensure you have a fresh air supply. If an enemy attacks you, cracks in your vision will remain as a bleak reminder of your potential fate. For dark environments, you have a torch and/or lighter on hand. These can be used to navigate obstacles and avoid potential dangers.

Metro Exodus story – What’s it about?

Set during the year 2036 following Metro: Last Light’s ‘Redemption’ ending, Exodus follows Artyom as he travels across Moscow in search of a new life. But he isn’t alone, joined by his wife, Anna, and a number of fellow survivors. Their journey will be treacherous, starting in the midst of a nuclear winter as you cower in the metro tunnels.

A recent report by Game Informer shed some light on how the world of Exodus will operate. The narrative begins in the Metro but will soon venture into the frozen wilds of post-apocalyptic Russia. It’s not open-world like Fallout 4, but instead a series of large sandboxes driven by exploration and linear missions. Once you leave an area, you can’t return, so make sure to finish up side quests before moving on.

Metro Exodus trailer – How does it look?

First showcased during Microsoft’s E3 2017 press conference, Metro Exodus received an impressive gameplay demonstration running on Xbox One X. Check it out below:

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Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway Present Best Picture to The Shape of Water at 2018 Oscars

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway Present Best Picture to The Shape of Water at 2018 Oscars

One year after the Best Picture mix-up at the 2017 Academy Awards, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway returned to the stage at the 2018 Oscars!

When the duo walked on stage, the audience gave them a standing ovation. "Thank you, it's so nice seeing you again," Beatty said.

"As they say, presenting is lovelier the second time around," Dunaway continued.

They then announced the that The Shape of Water had won the award for Best Picture! Director Guillermo Del Toro took the stage and asked Beatty, "May I have this?" He then double checked to make sure the envelope was correct. And it was!

o win the award, the movie was up against Call Me by Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Earlier in the evening, the director won the award for Best Director at the ceremony.

Be sure to watch E!'s After Party: The 2018 Academy Awards special at 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET/11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. PT!

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Watch What Happens Live: Jennifer Lawrence on the verge of tears after being surprised by special guests Luann de Lesseps and Bethenny Frankel

Watch What Happens Live: Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence was overwhelmed during a chat show appearance on Thursday by surprise guests.

The 27-year-old actress was on the verge of joyful tears after host Andy Cohen fulfilled her dream.

Andy, 49, noted that Jennifer recently told Oprah Winfrey in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that if she could have dinner with any three people dead or alive they would be reality stars Scott Disick, Luann de Lesseps and Bethenny Frankel.

'Since I make dreams come true, take a look over there. There is your Housewives dinner party,' Andy said as a curtain was removed showing Luann, Bethenny and a cardboard cut-out of Scott around a dinner table.

The Silver Linings Playbook star jumped out of her seat and rushed over to hug Bethenny and Luann who star in Bravo's The Real Housewives Of New York City.

'I'm gonna cry. I got my smile back, I got my smile back,' Jennifer said as she sat down between the reality stars.

Jennifer immediately told Skinnygirl Cocktails founder Bethenny, 47, that she recently defended her.

Dream dinner: Luann de Lesseps and Bethenny Frankel sat at a dinner table along with a cardboard cut-out of Scott Disick waiting for Jennifer

Bravo fan: The 27-year-old actress was thrilled to see Bravo stars Luann and Bethenny

Big hugs: Jennifer rushed over and hugged Luann and Bethenny

The Hunger Games star explained that her cousin doesn't like Bethenny, but everyone likes Luann.

Jennifer then quizzed Luann, 52, about the status of her relationships with fellow RHONY stars Ramona Singer and Sonja Morgan.

Andy sat back and smiled while watching Jennifer easily chat with Luann and Bethenny.

Jennifer also teased Bethenny about sticking up for longtime friend Kyle Richards in her beef with Dorit Kemsley on the last episode of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills.

'You know Dorit had an accent,' Jennifer said pointing two fingers at Bethenny.

'No! I swear to god on my life!,' Bethenny said standing up in protest.

'I liked it, I support it. I would do the same thing,' Jennifer told her.

Bethenny told Jennifer that she would make a great addition to the Housewives franchise.

'I would be smart like you guys. I would be diabolical enough, but then still find a way to be likable,' she said.

'She's not diabolical,' Bethenny said pointing to Luann.

'I'm not diabolical,' Luann said.

'No, you're accidentally diabolical,' Jennifer told Luann as they both started laughing.

Jennifer after the commercial break told Andy that she had never been 'more overwhelmed by anything' than meeting the Housewives icons.

'I'm so grateful to you. Thank you,' she told Andy.

Jennifer described herself as being 'married to Bravo' and then quoted a DailyMail.com article commenter.

She told Andy about a reader's comment in an article late last year after her split from director Darren Aronofsky, 49.

'One Daily Mail commenter said, ''Very lonely and it's sad'',' Jennifer told Andy referencing a DM article about her walking her dog post-split.

Andy giggled over Jennifer's identification of the author as 'one Daily Mail commenter'.

'I try to read them,' quipped the Oscar-winning actress.

Jennifer also confirmed a DailyMail.com report that guests to Amy Schumer's recent wedding were notified by text just days before the nuptials.

She also said that Amy sent her a bouquet of flowers when she was sad following her breakup with Aronofsky.

Jennifer said the card read, 'So sorry to hear you're going to die alone. Love, Amy'.

A caller asked for an update on Jennifer and Amy's screenplay and she said they completed a table read two weeks ago and were moving forward with it.

The actress was promoting her upcoming spy movie Red Sparrow that opens on Friday.

Jennifer when asked to name her favorite project told Andy it was Red Sparrow.

'If you want to be entertained, go. If you're a hater, don't,' Jennifer said. 

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Harry Potter New Movie 2018

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is an upcoming fantasy drama film produced by Heyday Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. A co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it is the sequel to the 2016 film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It will serve as the second film installment in the Fantastic Beasts series and the tenth overall in J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World, the franchise that began with the Harry Potter film series.

 The film is directed by David Yates, with a screenplay by Rowling, and features an ensemble cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner and Claudia Kim. The plot follows Newt Scamander and Albus Dumbledore as they attempt to take down the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, while facing new threats in a more divided wizarding world.

Principal photography for the film began at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in July 2017. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is scheduled to be released in theaters, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D on 16 November 2018.

At the end of the first film, the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander. But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.

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