1. BlizzCon 2018 is a celebration of all things Blizzard, with special announcements for the studio’s biggest titles
As if you didn’t have your gaming hands full already with Red Dead Redemption 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and the Fallout 76 beta, BlizzCon 2018 is here, bringing all manner of treats for fans of the industry titan. Not only will the convention bring a playable demo of World of Warcraft Classic to the show floor (which anyone with a virtual ticket can also try at home), but we can expect to see the reveal of Overwatch’s Hero 29, Diablo Amiibo, and potentially a tease for a rumoured Warcraft 3 remaster. You can take that last one with a healthy pinch of salt, but BlizzCon’s opening ceremony is still worth watching online this Friday for the entertainment value alone, and who knows? Maybe the famed studio has more surprises in store than we’re used to expecting… Alex Avard
What: BlizzCon 2018
Where: Anaheim, CA
When: November 2 - 4
2. Can House of Cards season 6 say goodbye with a bang (and without its original lead)?
One of the earliest Netflix Original series, I’m not sure anyone knew just how good House of Cards was going to be when it first landed on the streaming service back in 2013. A remake of the ‘90s British TV show of the same name, it quickly made itself known for its compelling storylines, impressive cast, and striking resemblance to modern-day US politics. Today, it’s final season hits the streaming service, and apart from waiting to see if House of Cards gets the send off it deserves, there’s also the question of how it will fair without its original lead Kevin Spacey. Don’t get me wrong, I think Netflix absolutely made the right decision by quickly removing Spacey from the show after allegiances of sexual harassment were made against last year, but we can’t ignore that he was a big part of House of Cards up until that point. The decision to continue the series with Robin Wright as lead, rather than cancel it altogether, was a brave one and I hope it pays off. Wright has proven time and time again that she’s capable of such a high-profile role, so no doubt fans won’t miss Spacey. In fact, depending on how much they love this new House of Cards, we could be seeing calls for House of Cards season 7 before the weekend is out. Lauren O’Callaghan
What: House of Cards season 6
When: Today
Where: Netflix
- The 25 best shows on Netflix you can watch right now
3. Has Football Manager 2019 has found even more ways to take over your life?
You’d best start cancelling plans for this weekend - and beyond. Football Manager 2019 is here to take over your every waking moment. There’s a reason why the series has been named in over 30 divorce cases. Yes, seriously. Even worse news for happily-married couples everywhere: Football Manager 2019 is the best game yet. While the tried-and-tested formula would be worth plunking down your hard-earned cash on its own, this year you’ve got a massive training revamp to get to grips with, as well as more licenses, more real-life technology changes and, more, well, more *everything*. Bradley Russell
- How to install real Football Manager 2019 kits, badges and facepacks
4. Overlord channels the guilty pleasures of old school video games for a delectable treat of a horror movie
Contrary to popular belief, Overlord is neither a Cloverfield movie nor an officially licensed Call of Duty Nazi Zombies movie, but it is a stupid good time nonetheless. Brought to us by J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production company, director Julius Avery’s war horror hybrid is bloody, exploitative, and unashamedly rambunctious, in which a squadron of U.S. WW2 soldiers drop into Nazi occupied France, tasked with taking out a German radio tower before morning. Suffice to say, not is all as it seems, and the Third Reich has been conducting dastardly experiments on the local village’s populace to scary results. To say any more would be to ruin half the movie, but Overlord is a riotous pastiche of slick action, smart visuals, and refreshingly shallow lack of complexity. Leave your brain at the theatre entrance, and make sure to bring plenty of popcorn.
What: Overlord
Where: Cinemas
When: November 7
- The 10 best video game movies of all time
5. Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun is great fun, but nothing without the drum peripheral
I've always been a sucker for a rhythm action game, so as soon as Bandai Namco's Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum n' Fun was released in its native Japan I was psyched for a worldwide release. And now it's here (along with another Japanese rhythm action game to boot, Gal Metal). It seemed a perfect fit for the motion-controlled JoyCon peripherals of the Nintendo Switch, even though there's an awesome drum peripheral that you can buy bundled with the game for a rather substantial £90/$149. And, unfortunately, it seems like you actually really want to use that drum or simple button presses instead of the Switch's motion controls. It's awfully imprecise, not all the hits register, and there isn't even an automatic calibration setup you can go through - you'll need to tweak it all manually. What it then ends up being is a very frustrating, shallow experience that may want to make you throw your JoyCons through the window rather than mash buttons mindlessly. It's such a shame because it could be amazing, especially combined with the glorious visuals and plethora of upbeat (very earwormy) tracks to work through too. I will say it does work fairly well in Tablet Mode on Switch though, but reduces the entire experience. Sad face. Sam Loveridge
What: Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun
When: Out now
Where: Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
- 25 best Nintendo Switch games you can buy right now
6. Can a new zombie game breathe new life into an old series?
The Walking Dead has been shambling along for nine series now but Overkill's The Walking Dead, a four player co-op action FPS, wants to make zombies feel fresh and new again. The game builds on the legacy that Left 4 Dead built, offering a world full of dangers and weapons and then sitting back and letting your inability to work well in a team create total chaos. It's based on the original graphic novels, rather than the TV show, but the zombies are just as ravenous. Rachel Weber
What: Overkill's The Walking Dead
Where: PC
When: November 6
- The 20 best horror games of all time
7. Can Tetris make the jump to modern consoles effectively? The Tetris Effect demo may tell us just that
Tetris is the universal gaming langue. Even if you can't jump over a Goomba, score a long-distance headshot, or make it through a turn-based battle, anyone can grasp the concept of stacking geometric blocks into neat piles and clearing them line by line. Tetris Effect takes that classic blend of simplicity and high-scoring depth and adds a thick, shiny layer of psychedelic icing. Made by the audiovisual geniuses at Enhance, led by Rez and Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Tetris Effect gives your every move a rhythmic cue and surrounds the tetromino gameplay with ambient, visually arresting scenes. It's also a - if not the - killer app for PlayStation VR (which is optional), and you can experience its mind-warping majesty for yourself right now with a limited-time, this-weekend-only demo. Play it ASAP, and I guarantee you won't regret it. You haven't truly lived until you've played Tetris while a circle of Balinese monkey chanting swirls all around you. Lucas Sullivan
What: Tetris Effect demo
Where: PS4
When: Now until November 5
8. Moonlighter is finally coming to Switch, so you better prepare yourself for a Stardew Valley-esque obsession
There was a point in my life where I had a spreadsheet dedicated to Stardew Valley. I spent far too long on the amazing Stardew planner website trying to figure out the best layout for my crops... so yeah, safe to say I had a problem. In my head, I had 'completed' Stardew, and was then searching for the next in a grand list of games like Stardew Valley. Like magic, Moonlighter appeared - a game where you tend a shop by day, where you're deciding what to charge for what, looking out for thieves, and more, and dungeon crawling at night, defeating beasties and exploring to find more stuff to sell in your shop during the day. It's got that same glorious gameplay loop as Stardew Valley, it's wonderfully habitual, perpetual quest for loot keeps you constantly on the brink of that 'just one more day' mentality that means you're playing into the wee hours of the morning without even realising. And now having that on Switch again with Moonlighter, months after its original release on Xbox One and PS4, is going to be a dangerous thing. A dangerously good thing. Sam Loveridge
What: Moonlighter
When: November 5
Where: Nintendo Switch
- 14 Moonlighter tips that’ll help you get the best loot and sell it for more
8 Things to Watch This Week picks the best games, movies and shows of the next seven days every Friday at 9am PDT / 5pm BST.
