The Mana Visa® Debit card isn't like your other debit cards. It's a card and rewards platform combined, designed from the ground up to be used by gamers. Launching in the US, Mana earns you points when you buy a range of gaming-related items, which you can then use to buy games and gift cards.
Anything you buy with Mana will earn you points but you'll get three times the points when buying memberships for services like PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Switch, and EA Play; as well as subscribing to streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and Spotify. You'll also earn double points when you buy video games, or gaming gift cards and gear in the Mana Shop. And you'll earn 1x points for all other purchases.
And that's just the basic free tier that Mana provides. If you want even more then there's also the option to join Mana Pro, priced at $69.95 per year. As well as boosting the points you can earn up to a maximum of 5x, you'll also get a $25 Xbox Gift Card and a $25 PlayStation Gift Card. Then there's a year's membership to Discord Nitro Classic, FitGMR Pro, Surfshark VPN, and FirstBlood Premium. All that actually adds up to around a $522 value, all for just $69.95. Whatever tier you choose, the Mana Visa® Debit card is safe too - your funds will be held by MVB Bank, Member FDIC, and are insured up to $250,000.
But enough of the technical stuff - here's the biggest things to look forward to in the next few months…
Saints Row, August 23
PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Rebooted for a new generation, Saints Row is back, letting an all new bunch of kids live the criminal dream, as you shoot, drive and fight your way to the top of the criminal underworld. As a fresh start to the series this might have dialled back some of the crazy, but you can still kill enemies by shoving a grenade down their pants. Or just kick them in the balls to bring them to their knees for a firm face slapping. It's all open world chaos, full of shoot outs, car chases and wingsuit escapes with the carnage only limited by your imagination.
The Last of Us Part 1, September 2
Ahead of The Last of Us TV show, Naughty Dog is reimagining the original game, using everything it learned from The Last of Us Part 2 to update the first game. Part remake and part remaster, this mixes modern tech, animation and art to bring the 2013 game right up to date. There's new enemy AI, more destructible environments and all running in native 4K at targeted 30 FPS or dynamic 4K at targeted 60 FPS. Everything has been rebuilt from the ground up, and this new edition even bundles in the Left Behind DLC.
Atlanta Season 4, September
It's time for the fourth and final season of the critically acclaimed Atlanta. Donald Glover is back as Earn, trying to make his way through life while balancing friends and family. Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield and Zazie Beetz all return as Paper Boi, Earn, Darius, and Van respectively, back from Europe and trying to deal with the success they've always wanted. But does the city of Atlanta still want them?
Hocus Pocus 2, September 30
The cult classic is back, with the Sanderson Sisters once again free and wreaking havoc on Salem after being accidentally resurrected for a second time. With the witches Winifred, Sarah, and Mary once again causing trouble and hunting for children's souls to suck dry, it's down to three high school friends, Becca, Cassie and Izzy, to try and defeat the Sandersons and before they can get their revenge.
Black Adam, October 21
In theatres
Movie stars don't get much bigger than Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and his debut as the infamous anti hero Black Adam is certainly going to be one of the biggest film events of the year. No one's more excited about this release though than Dwayne himself, who campaigned for the role and has been hyping it up ever since. Black Adam himself is a superhero gifted his abilities by the same wizard that created Shazam but imprisoned for 5000 years, before escaping into the modern world. It's a significant deal for the wider DCEU as well, with the big screen debuts of classic DC heroes like Hawkman, Atom Smasher, Doctor Fate, and Cyclone.
Gotham Knights, October 25
Batman is dead and it's down to the extended Bat-family to try and keep the Gotham streets under control. This is, despite Bruce Wayne's death, the Bat-dream, giving you an open world RPG to explore as either Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl or Red Hood - using and swapping between their unique abilities to take the fight to Gotham's criminals. But there's more to what's going on than just a crime wave - you'll also have to uncover the sinister secret society, The Court of Owls, and discover just what they've got planned for the city. And if you need back up, there's two player drop in and out, so you don't have to do all the moody rooftop posing alone.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, October 28
PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Captain Price and Task Force 141 are back, treading a morally dubious path to keep the world safe. This is more of an event than a game, with the cinematic globe trotting single player campaign linking up with Call of Duty's famous multiplayer, and Spec Ops co-op mode. This is also going to usher in an all new Warzone, a full sequel developed from scratch to the current battle royale mode that, combined with Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer, will bring months of post-launch content with new maps, modes, seasonal events and more to keep evolving the game.
Mythic Quest Season 3, Fall
The excellent game dev sitcom is back but everything's changed. After season 2 ended with Grimm and Poppy leaving Mythic Quest to start a new game studio, the team is divided. Loveable doormat David now runs Mythic Quest Studios, while Grimm and Poppy are feeling their way through their newly formed GrimPop Studios (see what they did with the name there). Expect more personality clashes, multiple calls to HR and maybe a game gets made somewhere?
God of War Ragnarok, November 9
It's finally time to get some answers after 2018's God of War left us with all the questions. When this incredible reboot for the series finally came to a close we knew Atreus was Loki, and Ragnarok was coming after Thor visited Kratos in an end credit tease. Now we'll finally get to see what that means as Kratos and Atreus go up against Odin, Thor and the Norse apocalypse. Not to mention their former ally Freya is out for revenge after Kratos killed her son, Baldur. With new realms to explore, enemies to defeat and combat to master, this is one of the biggest games on PlayStation this year.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, November 11
In theatres
After the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, it wasn't clear how the Black Panther character he brought to life would continue. Wakanda Forever is honouring his legacy by bringing an emblem cast together to protect Wakanda, following the death of T'Challa prior to the events of this sequel. With an incredible trailer revealing the likes of Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba and Winston Duke are all back. This is also setting a stage for the MCU's future as well, with Tenoch Huerta making his debut as Namor, and Dominique Thorne appearing as Riri Williams. She's better known as Ironheart, an MIT student that steps into Tony Stark's shoes after matching his skills in armor design.
So there's some essential Fall entertainment to keep you busy over the coming months. Just remember that with Mana you can earn points on everything you play and watch, and then spend those points to claim rewards from thousands of video games and gift cards. You can sign up to get invited to the beta now at mana.app.
