WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen has voiced her support for Scarlett Johansson amidst the Black Widow lawsuit. Johansson recently filed a lawsuit against Disney, alleging that they breached her Black Widow contract by releasing the film simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+. The lawsuit alleges that Johansson lost out on an estimated $50 million in box-office bonuses due to the film's hybrid release and that Disney failed to renegotiate Johansson's contract to reflect the new release plan. Black Widow has currently grossed $125 million on Disney+ and $500 million worldwide. Johansson's lawsuit has elicited a slew of mixed reactions. Disney initially responded to the lawsuit by criticizing Johansson for not being considerate enough about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. One Disney lawyer even claimed that Johansson's lawsuit is nothing more than an orchestrated PR campaign. Despite Disney's negative reaction to the lawsuit, many prominent figures in Hollywood have voiced their support for Johansson, including Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, the president of SAG-AFTRA Gabrielle Carteris, Blumhouse founder Jason Blum, and Denis Villeneuve, the director of Dune. During a recent joint interview with Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis for Vanity Fair, Olsen shared some insight on her thoughts about the state of movie releases during the pandemic and Johansson's lawsuit. Olsen's insightful answer included support for Johansson and her fears for films that might not be Hollywood blockbusters getting seen. Check out Olsen's thoughts on the entire matter below. Olsen: "I’m worried about a bunch of things. Not worried on Scarlett’s behalf. But I’m worried about small movies getting the opportunity to be seen in theaters. That was already a thing pre-COVID. I like going to the movies and I don’t necessarily want to see only an Oscar contender or a blockbuster. I would like to see art films and art house theaters. And so I do worry about that, and people having to keep these theaters alive. And I don’t know how financially that works for these theaters. I do hope that there’s some sort of solution that the larger companies are coming together to keep, at least in L.A. this is going to happen. But I do think it’s going to be how it kind of used to be when studios owned theaters. And I have a feeling that we might go back to that being the only way to keep them alive with such expensive real estate. But when it comes to actors and their earnings, I mean, that’s just, that’s just all contracts. So it’s either in the contract or it’s not. What about you? Are you worried about Scarlett? Sudeikis: Of course. How could I not? She’s married to my comedy brother [SNL’s Colin Jost]. Olsen: I think she’s so tough and literally when I read that I was like, “good for you Scarlett.” It's great to see Olsen voice her support for Johansson. The two women have, after all, co-starred in several MCU movies together. It's quite unfortunate how Disney has responded to Johansson's lawsuit because Johansson was the MCU's first female Avenger. Her nuanced portrayal of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow truly paved the way for other female Avengers, including Olsen as the Scarlet Witch. Johansson has also been playing Black Widow since 2010's Iron Man 2, so many had been hoping to get a Black Widow solo outing long before her character was killed off in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Hopefully, Disney and Johansson can settle the Black Widow lawsuit respectfully. This entire matter could set a positive or negative precedent for how stars get paid for future hybrid releases. All in all, Johansson has been a valued part of the MCU almost since the beginning, and she deserves to gets paid for what she's properly due. That being said, with Disney and Johansson's legal teams standing firm, it could be quite a while until everything is sorted out.

Director Neill Blomkamp has revealed that Sigourney Weaver loved the idea for his now cancelled Alien 5. Rising to prominence after the success of his first feature length effort District 9 in 2009, and followed by the slightly less successful sci-fi blockbuster Elysium in 2013, Blomkamp became attached to a number of well-established sci-fi properties. Alongside a film based on the Halo videogame series and a reboot of Robocop, neither of which came to fruition, the director was also briefly attached to helm the next installment in Ridley Scott's Alien franchise. While concept art and rumors about Blomkamp's Alien 5 continue to trickle out, the director recently revealed that the project is very much dead. In 2015, the director partially blamed this on Scott's reaction to Blomkamp's negatively received Chappie, which starred Alien-alum Weaver alongside Hugh Jackman, Dev Patel, as well as Ninja and Yo-Landi Visser of Die Antwoord. The fact that Alien 5 was announced in February of 2015, Chappie released a month later, and Alien 5 was then cancelled the following October makes it a difficult theory to refute. Speaking to The Guardian about his new horror film Demonic, which Blomkamp wrote and filmed during the pandemic, the director was inevitably asked about his cancelled Alien project. Blomkamp said that while the cancellation hit him hard, he also "felt bad for Sigourney [Weaver] because she was really into [the film]." He added that that he felt "there was an opportunity to do one more film with Sigourney in a way that may have satiated what people were looking for" from an Alien sequel. Read Blomkamp's full statement below: “I also felt bad for Sigourney [Weaver] because she was really into what I had brought forward. I felt like [for] audiences who loved Aliens, there was an opportunity to do one more film with Sigourney in a way that may have satiated what people were looking for and what I think I was looking for. What doesn’t make sense is that I feel like it’s what the audience wanted so it’s strange because Fox would never really turn down money.” Blomkamp's Alien 5 would have seen Weaver return as the iconic Ellen Ripley in a film set after the events of James Cameron's Aliens. It would also have ignored the events of the much maligned sequels Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, fitting with Blomkamp's assurance that his Alien film would have been "what the audience wanted." The fact that Weaver was greatly on-board with Blomkamp's Alien 5 is certainly reassuring though. The actress has become as synonymous with the Alien franchise as the Xenomorphs themselves, so her involvement would have gone a long way to reassuring fans, and it would undoubtedly be great to see her return for one final turn in her most famous role. The reaction to the Weaver-less prequel films Prometheus and Alien: Covenant was somewhat mixed, so it would make sense that some fans might prefer to see a return of Ripley in an Alien sequel in order to continue the narrative of the original films. However, with the relative failure of Chappie, it would make sense for both Scott and studio 20th Century Fox to possibly lose faith in Blomkamp's ability to helm Alien 5. While District 9 was well-received, earning a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, the director has struggled to match his initial success. Demonic has been critically panned, sitting on 14% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. Hopefully his upcoming sequel District 10 will prove more successful even if Alien 5 is no longer a possibility.

Selena Gomez is putting to rest rumours that she's quitting the music industry. Speaking to Elle, the 29-year-old explained how she doesn't see her music career stopping anytime soon. "I don't think I'll ever quit making music," the Love You Like a Love Song singer reassured fans. "I'm not saying I want a Grammy. I just feel like I'm doing the best I can, and it's all about me. Sometimes, that can really get to me." The Only Murders in the Building star put out her first-ever Spanish-language EP, Revelación, earlier this year. When talking about the experience of making the album, she opened up about using a Spanish coach after struggling to sing in the language. "I made sure that I didn't look like a fool," she said. "I focused so hard on making sure that the language I was speaking, and the way I was speaking it, was authentic. I wanted it to exude love - to talk about pain, but in a way that was confident. There is a song about girls saying goodbye to things that aren't good for us." Gomez worried fans earlier this year after she said in an interview with Vogue that she was considering quitting music, citing frustrations over not being taken seriously. "It's hard to keep doing music when people don't necessarily take you seriously," the singer said in March. "I've had moments where I've been like, 'What's the point? Why do I keep doing this?' Lose You to Love Me I felt was the best song I've ever released, and for some people, it still wasn't enough."

The Anchoress joins Elton John on Apple Music 1 to discuss her recent album 'The Art of Losing'. She tells Elton why collaborating with James Dean Bradfield was a 'dream come true' and delves into the production process behind the record. Also in the interview, Elton expresses his support for female artists, noting that in his view, "the boys are lagging behind". The Anchoress Tells Elton John About Collaborating With James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers… We are good friends now, yeah. I mean, I grew up just completely idolising the band. So for me, it was a bit of a dream come true to duet on their record, their last album. And then, I thought, "Well, I'll ask him if he'll return the favour on mine," which he dutifully did. I don't know if it was under duress. But yeah, it was amazing to hear that song back, something that I'd written, and then hear our voices together, when I'd grown up singing along to Manic records since I was 12 years old. So it was just, yeah, mad, absolutely mad. The Anchoress Tells Elton John About Self-Producing Her Album ‘The Art Of Losing’ … I wrote and produced the entire thing myself in the studio here, that you can see. So I had that luxury of not having an A&R person over my shoulder saying, "Oh, we need a couple more tunes like this." So it is completely an artistic indulgence. And how often do you get to do that anymore? The Anchoress Tells Elton John That Her Work Has A 'Filmic Quality'... I mean, I was really lucky to get to do a kind of expanded three-CD edition. And it's got these beautiful alternative images, very David Lynch inspired. It's almost like there is a kind of filmic quality, I guess, to the album. And it takes the listener on a journey. I'm desperate to play, but equally, we've got to be careful about playing live. And it's just unknown at the moment, isn't it? I think we're all in the same boat. Elton John Tells The Anchoress That Female Artists ‘Are Doing All The Good Work’… I can see the vision in the songs, a bit like Rina Sawayama. The female artists at the moment are doing all the good work. The boys are lagging really, really behind… It's all about the females at the moment, as far as I'm concerned.

Tom and Josh from Jungle are on Matt Wilkinson’s show on Apple Music 1 discussing their new album Loving in Stereo, which is out now. In the conversation, Jungle talk about being newly independent and releasing albums themselves, as well as their favourite musicians in the UK at the moment. Jungle on being independent and releasing albums themselves: 'It's super freeing. When you start out, labels are great. You dream of labels your whole life. And you get in there, and they're great at that point when you need the support. But after two records, we've got fans and we've got things in the real world. And I think that we do everything, from the videos to the visuals to the graphics, and the way the website looks and everything. At some point, there's not much space for the label creatively. For us, it's like, well, there's no one to answer to. There's no mum or dad to check if it's good. So you get out of the habit of seeking approval from other people who are not actually making the music. This time, we have to know whether it's good or not. And I think that that's what it came down to. We sat down at the end of November, 2020, and we were like, "Which tunes bang? Which tunes can we stand behind?" Jungle on their favourite UK musicians: 'Obviously Inflo, a close friend of ours, who we work with quite a bit, he worked a little bit on this record. And on the last record, I mean, he's not up and coming, he's killing it. So he's probably not new enough to fit the criteria of the question. But obviously, you know Flow and everything he does is just top drawer. And he's a huge inspiration. A lot of what we try and do when we're in the studio is try not to listen to too much music, in a way, because we want to keep ourselves almost fresh, rather than channel a specific sound. But I mean, we know there are some amazing artists coming out of London, especially at the moment. You look at Lava La Rue, whos actually killing it. She's got a track called Magpie at the moment, which is just really stunning'.

Lil Nas X is determined to put his "people pleaser" ways behind him so he can become a "legend" within the music industry. Following on from the success of country rap single Old Town Road, Nas has dropped singles including Montero (Call Me by Your Name) and Industry Baby. While openly gay Nas has courted controversy with some of his provocative videos and stage performances, he has no desire to tone down his persona. "Honestly, I believe the pandemic helped me get out of the idea of trying to please everybody, and the idea of, 'He's a cool gay person; he's an acceptable gay person,'" the star said in an interview for Variety. "I used to see things like that as a compliment, but it's not. It just means you're a people pleaser, and they never become legends. I wanted to be even more authentic in my music and let people into my life. I'm much more confident now - in my music, myself, my sexuality, the things that I believe that I stand for." And though social critics in the U.S. called out the unabashedly queer themes depicted within the video for Nas's hit song Montero (Call Me by Your Name), the singer revealed that the release of the clip actually brought him closer to his father. "People were definitely talking to him online, but I feel like after the (controversial) videos is when my dad became the most supportive of me," he explained. "Before that, it was something we never really talked about. But after he gave it some time, he believed in me even more. I mean, it wasn't that reaction when he first (saw the video) but you know, we got there!"

John Mayer fulfilled a "fantasy" on his new album 'Sob Rock'. The 43-year-old singer-songwriter released his latest record last month and wanted to create revisit his childhood by creating music inspired by 1980s sounds. John told Guitar World magazine: "I think everyone who makes music comes at it from a fantasy, but for me the fantasy this time was, what if it's 1988 and I had had a band in the late Sixties through the Seventies, and now I'm my age in the Eighties and people are handing me these things called chorus pedals, or people are going, 'Hey, you don't need a tube amp anymore.' And I go, 'You don't? Okay. This sounds great...'" The star admitted that he was putting "more and more and more" melody on each track. John explained: "There is nothing in this record that has any sandpaper on it. "I went, 'Well, I'm just going to go for it. I'm just going to be as absolutely melodic and generous as I can be.' And I was just putting more and more and more melody on each and every one of these songs. That's the fun I had on this record." Mayer also revealed that every song was hard work as he tried to install as many "layers" as possible on the album. He said: "It took forever to work on these songs. "It was like, here's the three-and-a-half minutes – how do you inject it with as many moments and layers as possible? How can you just keep jam-packing it with payoffs? "What we're really talking about is, what's so wrong about a guilty pleasure? Or what's so guilty about someone making a record that goes, 'I'm setting out to please you as much as I possibly can with the art of melody.' Someone may not like that, but I'm proud to go down with that ship."

Don Everly had died at the age of 84. The Everly Brothers musician - who released 21 studio albums with his late brother Phil - died at his home in Nashville on Saturday (21.08.21). A message on the Everly Brothers' Instagram page stated: "It is with great sadness that we regret to announce the passing of Isaac Donald Everly today. He leaves behind his wife Adela, mother Margaret, children Venetia, Stacy, Erin & Edan, grandchildren Arabella, Easan, Stirling, Eres, Lily & Esper RIP Don 2/1/37-8/21/21 #doneverly #everlybrothers (sic)." 'Nashville' star Charles Esten commented on the post: "Rest In Peace, Don Everly. And may flights of angels lead you and your voice on your way." Session musician Brian Ray added: "I’m so sad to hear this news. They were such a huge part of my musical upbringing. RIP Don Everly." A family spokesperson told The Los Angeles Times newspaper: "Don lived by what he felt in his heart. Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live his dreams ... with his soulmate and wife, Adela, and sharing the music that made him an Everly Brother.” Don and his brother Phil released their debut album in 1957 before signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1960. They are best known for hits including 'Bye Bye Love', 'All I Have to Do is Dream' and 'Problems'. The Everly Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 alongside Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. And Don was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019. Phil died of pulmonary disease at the age of 74 in 2014. Don is survived by his mother, Margaret; his wife Adela; his son, Edan, and his daughters Venetia, Stacy and Erin.

Barbra Streisand wasn't dazzled by Beyoncé's first take on her hit song The Way We Were at an event back in 2008. In a recent interview with Australia's The Sunday Project to promote Release Me 2, a compilation album of the singer-songwriter's rare and previously unreleased recordings, Barbra reflected on the superstar's performance of her 1974 single when the veteran star received her Kennedy Center honour. While the interviewer noted Beyoncé offered a "powerful" rendition at the private concert, Barbra wasn't so convinced by her performance during a rehearsal. "Well, she first sang it once, and I didn't think it was good enough, for her," the 79-year-old revealed. "I always think like a director, and I want the best for my actors and singers. I know she did it over, and she did it beautifully the second time." Barbra went on to insist that Beyonce wouldn't have been thrilled with her first rendition either. "I think she knew it. I think she was the one who actually asked to do it over," she asserted.

David Crosby has never had a "more fulfilling work relationship" than the one he has with his son. The Byrds legend - who formed the iconic group in 1964 and later formed Crosby, Stills and Nash before working with the likes of Neil Young - insisted teaming up with his son James Raymond on 2014's 'Croz' and beyond has been incredibly rewarding. He told Classic Rock Magazine: "I've never enjoyed a more fulfilling working relationship with anyone other than my son, James, but I've come close. "The relationship I have with Michael League is very good. When he produces my other band, the Lighthouse Band, the chemistry's really excellent. "And I've obviously had good chemistry with other people in the past: Roger [McGuinn], Chris [Hillman], Gene [Clark] and Michael [Clarke] in The Byrds; CSN and CSNY, great chemistry, really good." And while Crosby acknowledged that he isn't on great terms with Graham Nash anymore, he knows they created magic together. He added: "Nash and I don't get along now, but credit where it's due, man, he's a great harmony singer and we did a lot of really good work." Still, for Crosby everything comes back to his son - who was placed for adoption when he was a baby and reunited with his father as an adult - and he praised him as a co-producer and co-writer. He said: "Some of the four-part things I've done recently with Becca [Stevens], Michelle [Willis] and Michael League in the Lighthouse Road band are really incredible, but I don't think I've ever had better chemistry than with James, and frankly, man, he's matured. "I thought he was terrific when I met him, but on this record ['For The Free'], I think he's as good a writer as I am, if not better."

Lil Nas X says Frank Ocean and Kevin Abstract inspired him to be open about his sexuality. The 22-year-old star revealed that Frank opening up about his relationship with a man and Kevin coming out as gay in 2016, inspired him to be himself. In an interview for VMAN.com, Kevin asked Lil Nas: "Do you feel like if there weren’t artists like Frank [Ocean] that came before you, you still would’ve had the courage to be as open as you are about who you are?" Nas replied: "I feel like without Frank and people like you - it definitely would’ve been much more scary. I feel like for everybody, no matter who the artist is, there’s always some person that in some way made them feel slightly more okay with doing something and being themselves…you know? That’s what you guys did for me. "Honestly, you did that for me, at a time where I wasn’t fully comfortable with who I was. Especially ‘cause you’re like, really straightforward a lot of times with your lyrics. With a lot of gay artists, understandably, it’s very much metaphor. It’s almost like this could possibly be about a guy." Lil Nas X says his sound is evolving all the time and right now he considers himself more popstar than rapper. He explained: "I’m definitely much more of a pop star now than a rapper. If you asked me that two years ago, I would’ve said rapper. "I feel like I’m much less concerned about anybody’s thoughts and opinions on what I decide to do. The only opinion that matters is my own, especially when it comes to what I create."

Charli XCX used the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity to start therapy. The I Love It singer - real name Charlotte Aitchison - revealed in an interview with Refinery29 that she found speaking to a professional "really helpful" and hopes to take some of the lessons she's learned with her into the new normal. "I started therapy at the beginning of the pandemic. And that was sort of timely and very fortunate that I was able to do that; it's been really helpful," she said. "I definitely was thinking to myself, okay, I must take a lot of this practice into life when the world goes back to however it's going to return to, but I already feel it slipping away from me. "I know a lot of my friends feel the same, like, I made these grand plans, how I was going to change my behaviour and live my life differently. And I'm trying, but it seems like that won't last." The 29-year-old is preparing for a new era of music, with the arrival of new single Good Ones on 2 September. It follows on from her lockdown project, How I'm Feeling Now, which was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize last year. "I'm just very into making ultimate pop music, and the whole album is very contrasting from How I'm Feeling Now," she revealed. "I'm exploring what it means to be a pop star on a major label in a not very current way. And that's really fun to me." She is also the host of BBC Radio 1's new podcast Best Song Ever, which features guests such as Mark Ronson, Addison Rae, and Christine and the Queens.

Twitch is currently going through a crisis. Content creators on the live streaming platform are being targeted by hostile actors that use Twitch's chat and other systems to spread bigoted harassment. Twitch previously acknowledged the ongoing problems and announced it was taking further steps to prevent the harassment, but so far those efforts have proven ineffective. Due to continued pressure from Twitch streamers to do more, Twitch has now issued another statement on the subject. In a thread of four tweets posted on Twitter, Twitch first states outright that "No one should have to experience malicious and hateful attacks based on who they are or what they stand for." Twitch makes clear that what's happening isn't acceptable and that it's working on a solution. In other words, Twitch is repeating the same sentiment that it first shared on Twitter earlier in August. From there, Twitch tries to provide some context for the situation, detailing both what's happening and why an immediate solution isn't presenting itself. It first states that the harassment stems from "highly motivated bad actors." These bad actors are said to be actively responding to any changes made by Twitch, searching for methods to continue spreading slurs in response to every move Twitch makes to prevent them. Twitch also wants to make clear that it is working to prevent them. It says that it's "continually updating [Twitch's] sitewide banned word filters" and "removing bots when identified." These are two active actions Twitch is carrying out, though their effectiveness isn't visibly significant given the continued widespread issue and harassment of Twitch streamers. Twitch also says that it's doing more behind the scenes to counter harassment, including building "channel-level ban evasion detection and account improvements." However, it says that it can't go into detail about these systems, or other ways it's trying to counter malicious behavior, so as to avoid giving the bad actors time to counter Twitch's efforts. The company says that it is making daily invisible changes as well. Basically, Twitch is asking content creators to trust that it's making an effort, even if that effort has so far been ineffective. The response to Twitch's latest statements is understandably negative. Twitch streamers and their followers are tired of receiving bigoted hate raids in their chats often multiple times a day. The fact that there's no tangible solution being presented and that many streamers are having to resort to third-party tools to get up-to-date ban-lists is only driving frustration. That said, Twitch is clearly continuing an open dialogue on the matter and asking for more feedback. As such, it's just a matter of how much longer Twitch streamers will have to deal with the matter before an official solution is presented.

Stardew Valley is one of the most popular indie farming sims out there, and now its creator has announced a huge esports tournament. In this big event, teams of four players composed of popular speedrunners and Stardew Valley content creators will compete against each other in over 100 challenges to win prizes. Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley, announced the tournament over his Twitter account. The first official Stardew Valley Cup is planned to be a competition of skill, knowledge, and teamwork, where some of the most dedicated players the game has to offer will battle over a prize pool worth over $40,000. They'll pit themselves against the game's Stardew Valley's mining and fishing mechanics to prove they're some of the greatest Stardew Valley players out there. Working alongside Barone is Zach "Unsurpassable Z" Hartman, who collaborated on the tournament and came up with the challenges that each team will be facing. Teams will clear these challenges to earn points, with different amounts of points being handed out depending on the level of difficulty. As of writing, the team line-up appears to be Sandy's Candies, Pierree's Cherries, Pam's Yams, and Krobus's Crocuses. It seems each team will have a chance to show off their Stardew Valley farming skills based on a short, one-minute-long trailer shared on Barone's Twitter account. The main event is scheduled to be held on September 4, 2021, at 9am PST, which should give fans plenty of time to save the date. Competitive farming sims may seem like an odd choice for esports, but in practice, speedrunning games like Stardew Valley and Minecraft has been popular for years. The competitors are likely to be highly skilled players who have already honed their skills uncovering Stardew Valley's many secrets. As such, the fact they decided to take on other teams in a competition of farming sim mastery may not be that much of a surprise. As of writing, it appears that fans are generally in favor of the 1st official Stardew Valley Cup, though one fan joked that there's already an official Stardew Valley cup that fans can drink out of. Others began discussing how frustrating it would be to lose the Cup because of missing out on a two percent chance for double potato crops. However, many users simply expressed enthusiasm for the contest and began searching for more information, which can be found on the Unsurpassable Z YouTube channel. One thing is certain: Stardew Valley is still having an impact on the video game community years after its release. Stardew Valley is available for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

The Xbox Series X/S generation of consoles hasn't necessarily started with a bang. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the delay of many of Xbox's plans, never mind the rest of the industry's. As such, the Xbox Series X/S game library is still proving itself, with each new release having the potential to define the Xbox platform for years to come. That's just been shown, it seems, as a new release on Xbox platforms has become its highest-rated release of 2021 and highest-rated Xbox Series X/S game of all time. That game is Hades. Hades is the 2020 roguelike action dungeon crawler developed by Supergiant Games that collected many of that year's Game of the Year awards. However, it was limited to just the PC and Switch at the time. It took nearly a full year for Supergiant to put together ports for both the PlayStation and Xbox platforms, which launched on August 13. The Xbox Series X/S version of Hades has since accrued an incredible 94 rating on Metacritic. That 94 rating on Metacritic makes Hades the far and away best-rated game for the Xbox Series X/S release yet. Only one other game for the Xbox Series X/S is rated above a 90, with that being Ori and the Will of the Wisps with a 92 rating. Rounding out the other top games on the platform are Microsoft Flight Simulator with a 90, and then It Takes Two, Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 all with a score of 89. Hades is also the best-rated game release on all Xbox platforms for the full year of 2021, at least so far. Below Hades on that list are Microsoft Flight Simulator, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, It Takes Two, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, F1 2021, Death's Door, Hitman 3, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, and The Forgotten City. Hades is the only game to score above 90. Of course, there are several months left in 2021 yet. Some might try to read into Hades topping the list of Xbox Series X/S games and try to make it part of the "console wars." But the truth is that Hades is simply considered a great game. In fact, Hades is also now the top-rated PlayStation game of 2021 and the top-rated PS5 game overall, too. Hades stands out regardless of its platform. There are plenty more great games to come on the Xbox Series X/S. Hades has set a high benchmark, though, so game developers know they have their work cut out for themselves. As for Xbox gamers, they can just sit back and wait for the next game to meet the quality of Hades. Hades is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Twitch may be forced to listen to its users as streamers prepare to strike against the platform with the #ADayOffTwitch campaign. Those participating hope to bring more power back to the streamers by forcing the company to improve its widely criticized services. Criticisms of Twitch are continuing to ramp up as streamers become even more frustrated with the platform's lack of action on important issues. In particular, the recent cases of plugin doxxing and failure to provide adequate tools to prevent large harassment campaigns against streamers in marginalized communities can be blamed for the frustration. The strike will take place on September first. The harassment campaigns earlier this month are a widespread issue that shows no signs of slowing down, and many streamers have had enough of Twitch's failure to adequately respond to this problem. Streamers are using the #ADayOffTwitch campaign to have as many users as possible stay off of Twitch on the strike day, as a demonstration of the amount of control organized streamers can have over the platform. Twitch has long been under fire for various issues, and harassment campaigns are not new to the platform. Especially within the past few months, however, the campaigns have been increasing in frequency. These come in addition to Twitch's already frustrating copyright policy, which can be difficult for streamers to work around if not impossible for certain games that include licensed music. Despite its many issues, Twitch is an important platform because it can provide new means of telling stories or showcasing other ideas in creative ways not seen much on its competitors. If Twitch's plugin system makes a real-life adaptation of The Sims possible, it is difficult to predict what kinds of creative things streamers will do with the platform in the future. However, to many streamers, Twitch's behavior and responses to criticisms against it are unacceptable, and if the strike fails to solve its issues, streamers will be forced to deal with the problems for even longer until a viable alternative is created. However, creating a streamer-focused alternative is very difficult considering that its main competition also has the funding of major companies. Over the past year, the platform has made some positive changes as well, including the introduction of a less intrusive advertising system for Twitch viewers. However, the largest problems with the platform still remain unsolved, and the direct action and control a strike gives the streamers will hopefully lead Twitch to fix its issues and become more viable.

With Overwatch's huge international cast of characters, creative fans have a lot of inspiration to draw from. Blizzard's signature art style, coupled with the variety of skins available for its roster of characters, helps to facilitate artistic interpretation from Overwatch fans, and extraneous content, in the form of animated shorts and comic books, has also helped to bolster each character's background. In an ode to the Overwatch novel Deadlock Rebels by Lyndsay Ely, a Redditor and artist has sketched a wonderful interpretation of Ashe, McCree, and B.O.B. Deadlock Rebels is the second Overwatch novel, and it focuses on the beginnings of the Deadlock Gang, a criminal organization of which Ashe and McCree are the founding members. Taking place a long time before the happenings of the Overwatch video game, Deadlock Rebels follows Ashe and McCree's early years as criminals, with Ashe only just graduating high school in the novel, and a decades-younger McCree before his induction into the Overwatch team. While the novels focus on events in McCree's past, the character's future may be uncertain, with recent allegations against Activision Blizzard causing many fans to request a name change for McCree in Overwatch. In a light-hearted take on the gang's early years, Redditor Pugbytes has depicted Ashe's 21st birthday party, with B.O.B and McCree in attendance. Ashe and McCree clink bottles together in a toast to the cowgirl's big day, while B.O.B stands behind holding a large birthday cake and sporting a festive party hat atop his metal head. The three pose for a selfie on the beach, wearing clothes resembling their skins for the Summer Games Overwatch event, and showing a lighter side to the trio compared to their usual gun-toting, Wild West ways. After reading Deadlock Rebels, Pugbytes felt the need to sketch the companions, having enjoyed the insight into the characters and the "Good slice of background for the cowlads," that it provided. Notably, Pugbytes version of Ashe keeps her Deadlock Gang tattoos in tact, something the official Summer Games Overwatch skin managed to forget, and does a wonderful job of capturing a moment of joy in Ashe and McCree's relationship. While McCree became a vigilante after the dissolution of Overwatch, his focus on fighting for causes that he believed were just, Ashe continued to heist and plunder, and two became bitter rivals. With the characters being at odds with each other after McCree chose to join Overwatch, Ashe keeps a picture of McCree on a dartboard in her hideout, it's certainly a refreshing take on the pair. Overwatch is certainly on bumpy ground lately, with the potential delay of Overwatch 2 and allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct at Activision Blizzard looming over all of the company's franchises. With that in mind, it is nice to see that Overwatch can still inspire positivity, and that fans can get enjoyment out of the game's characters and setting, despite the surrounding negativity. The light-hearted nature of Pugbyte's art helps to capture the fun of Overwatch's world, as well as the vibrant nature of Blizzard's character design, and the size of Ashe's cake shows that B.O.B isn't just a potent ultimate ability, but a great Omnic butler as well. Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Fans of The Witcher series certainly have a wide variety of material to contend with when tackling cosplays, with characters differing between The Witcher game series by CD Projekt Red, the Netflix television show, as well as the original novels and short stories by Andrzej Sapkowski. With each iteration, the cast of prominent characters undergoes minor creative changes, with Geralt being a slightly different Witcher from book, to game, to TV. This goes for Yennefer as well, and a cosplayer as taken up the challenge of highlighting these subtle differences, with a wonderful cosplay of the sorceress posted to Reddit. While many fans of the The Witcher were introduced to the series through the 2015 game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, there were not only two games preceding that title, but a series of books as well. While relations between Sapkowski and CD Projekt Red have been shaky, Sapkowski refused a profit-sharing deal with the games during their production, assuming nothing would come of it, fans of the book series generally have favorable things to say about the games. There are some changes in characterization between mediums, with some noting that Yennefer is less flawed in The Witcher 3 than she is in the books and Netflix series, and other characters receiving minor alterations as well. Reddit user and Russian cosplayer fel0ra, has posted their version of Yennefer on the site, striking a number of poses in an outfit designed to replicate Sapokowski's Yennefer. While many of the differences are subtle, to fans of the books, they are important nuances to Witcher readers. For instance, fel0ra's wavy hair is much more in-keeping with book Yennefer, whose hair falls down to her shoulders in "raven black" curls. Fel0ra also sports a different pendant than that of The Witcher 3's Yennefer, opting for something she describes as "more elegant" and closer to the description given in the books. Fel0ra's commitment to the Yennefer cosplay is impressive, as not only is the cosplay highly detailed and accurate, the cosplayer also made sure to wear Yennefer's signature perfume of lilac and gooseberries during the portrayal. The slight differences and subtleties in fel0ra's cosplay are a testament to her love of the character, and are an interesting window into the changes made between the books and video game series. Interestingly, Yennefer is one of the less altered characters from book to game, with more notable changes being the removal of Triss' scars in The Witcher 3, and some alterations to Ciri's scarring as well. While CD Projekt Red's version of Yennefer is certainly a powerful and impressive depiction, with Denise Gough doing an ample job of voicing the sorceress, it is always nice to see the source material receiving some love. Fel0ra's take on Yennefer has all the markings of a true fan's work, with attention to detail and accuracy clearly paramount for the cosplayer. She joins a long list of highly impressive cosplays for the series, with The Witcher 3's Ciri receiving similar attention in a recent cosplay, and a whole host of other characters being lovingly brought to life thanks to the imagination of committed fans.

It appears that Twitch streamer Asmongold is not having a lot of fun these days. During a just chatting stream on Twitch, the gaming personality explained that there's a chance he could end up quitting altogether. Asmongold has expressed frustration over situations involved in streaming before. He's even been known to take a hiatus from Twitch every now and then to recharge his batteries and get back into a place where he feels that he can enjoy himself when he's streaming. However, this time around he didn't make comments about taking a break and instead talked about about quitting altogether, as the frustration level has gotten quite high. The streamers' comments started with him talking about possibly quitting, saying that he likes to just have fun and play things up. However, he added that if he can't have fun and if he has to constantly watch what he says because people are going to take it and use it as ammo against him, he's going to quit. The Twitch streamer added that if things keep up the way that they are currently going, he probably will have to step away. At one point during his speech, one of Asmongold's viewers made a comment about how the fact that he's not having fun is his fault. He respondedby saying that it doesn't matter whether it's his fault that he's having fun or not. In fact, he says that it doesn't matter what is causing his lack of enjoyment at all. If he's feeling that he's not enjoying what he's doing, Asmongold thinks it would be best to simply quit doing it. This sentiment is similar to one that was just voiced by another Twitch streamer in Pokimane. During a recent video that was posted on YouTube, Pokimane explained that while her streams are still quite popular, she's not having as much fun streaming as she used to. She admitted that she's feeling a sense of burnout and doesn't want to be doing what she's doing "forever." Asmongold is certainly not afraid of voicing his opinion about any number of different subjects. One of the most popular WoW streamers on Twitch, he's been known to criticize the game that helped make him famous. He's also talked quite a bit about changes he would like to see that would make the games he plays that much better. While this isn't the first time he's talked about his frustration over one thing or another, his tone seemed a bit different in his most recent stream. Whether that means he's seriously considering quitting Twitch remains to be seen, however.

Many streamers have recently found success on Twitch since many people were forced to stay home looking for more content to pass the time. These Twitch streamers, such as Hasan Piker, have gained a huge following because of this and are now making a very comfortable living. Piker was the former host of a political commentary channel called The Young Turks. Today, he goes by HasanAbi on Twitch and streams video game content, and has political discussions with his followers. As a self-identified leftist and socialist, HasanAbi consistently centered many of his discussions around workplace democracy and equally distributing the wealth. While his ideals normally bode well with his audience, many of his followers are now angered after he bought a $2.7 million home in Los Angeles, coming off as a hypocrite in their eyes since he strongly advocates for socialism. And now what started as another case of Twitch streamer controversy has escalated to a potentially dangerous situation after HasanAbi posted that he received death threats yesterday on Twitter. Before the threats, Piker had been very coy about the situation by sharing memes and comedically poking holes in these angry people's arguments. Piker even made the point earlier that the housing market is currently inflated in Los Angeles, and $3 million is not that insane of a price for housing. Then, he states that people were going to be mad at him no matter how expensive his house was going to be. Now, he has stated that he never intended to let the situation get so out of control to the point that it would become a dangerous situation for the Twitch streamer. Many fans, and other content creators such as Noel Miller, have also come to his defense on Twitter to share their support. One user stated that being a socialist does not automatically mean people have to be poor for the rest of their life and never buy a house. It just means that they should not greedily support a capitalist system and exploit other people, all of which Piker has never done. Hopefully, these threats never escalate into an actual incident, and HasanAbi and the people closest to him remain safe. Some fans have even given the Twitch streamer advice about looking for a professional real estate agent to discreetly buy housing in the future and avoid this situation from happening again. Of course, everyone is allowed to have their opinion on the matter, but it is never okay to go out and threaten anyone over them.

After taking home countless awards and praise last year at launch, Sucker Punch has finally given fans a big reason to return to its visually stunning game. Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut advances the PS4 game to the next gen, gaining 4K resolution, improved loading times, haptic feedback, 3D Audio support, and even a full Japanese lip sync feature. In addition to new features, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut also includes the new Iki Island expansion campaign, as well as more items to collect. As expected, Ghost of Tsushima is a game filled with Easter eggs, hidden throughout its expansive take on the Island of Tsushima. Fans discovered a hidden shrine with a desk that had a bunch of curious items scattered about it. In fact, the desk contained references to plenty of other PlayStation titles like Gran Turismo, Ratchet and Clank, and even Shadow of the Colossus. However, the newest expansion also hides a pretty cool secret related to Sony Santa Monica's God of War franchise. Fans of Ghost of Tsushima have managed to come across the mysterious Shrine of Ash on Iki Island north of Yahata Forest. Upon closer inspection, the shrine features an axe stuck in the side of a birch tree with a golden handprint on the side of the trunk, a clear nod to the 2018 God of War game. While the shrine also features a scroll retelling the tale of Kratos and Atreus, it also includes a puzzle that unlocks a pretty cool reward for those who complete it. After equipping the Sakai Clan Armor and taking out the sword, a cutscene will show Jin being covered in ash, ultimately unlocking the God of War themed set of armor. This includes the Helm of War, Spartan Mask, and the Ghost of Sparta dye which is predominantly white with red markings reminiscent of Kratos. The gear also features a number of small details such as chains around the wristsd and forearms, intended to appear like Kratos' Blades of Chaos. In fact, players may have already seen this armor as the God of War inspired armor was originally added to the multiplayer Legends mode, though this is the first time it is available inside the single player game. The response to Ghost of Tsushima has been incredibly positive from players critics and even those who are actually living on Tsushima Island. Not only has the game's popularity helped crowdfund repairs to the the Watatsumi Shrine after a Typhoon caused damage, Tsushima mayor Hiroki Hitakatsu made game director Nate Fox and creative director Jason Connell permanent Tourism Ambassadors. Now, with the Iki Island expansion, players will get to continue exploring the region and the Iki Archipelago. Ghost of Tsushima is available for PS4 and PS5.

Back-to-school season has begun, and while some schools are already in session, others have yet to begin. A Mass Effect fan, who also happens to be the teacher, is getting ready for incoming students. To prepare, they have decorated their space in an amazing way, with Mass Effect artwork and other video game memorabilia. On a section of wall, just below a small-scale model of the Ace of Spades gun from Destiny, there are profiles of the teacher's favorite characters on paper, designed with what looks like watercolors. They snapped a photo of their classroom gallery and posted it to Reddit under the username endbehaviour. In the comments section, they gave a rundown of why they arranged the Mass Effect characters on the wall the way they did. "My Shepard romanced Garrus. Liara is looking at the calendar because she’s all about that history. Tali and Legion became unlikely friends, and so did Wrex and Mordin, and Thane is in the shadows of my printer lol," they explained. There have been a lot of members of Shepard's crew throughout the Mass Effect trilogy, but the characters this teacher has chosen are predominantly seen in Mass Effect 2. This should come as no surprise considering it ranks as the best EA game of all time according to Metacritic. The second title earned just a slightly higher score than the divisive final entry in the trilogy. Ever since Shepard's fight against the Reapers ended, fans have been eager to jump back into the world of Mass Effect. In 2017, Mass Effect: Andromeda helped scratch that itch, but it didn't quite live up to the original games and its characters. Thankfully, for those who want to pick up where things left off, Mass Effect 4 is in development and appears to be a continuation of the trilogy. There were plenty of unanswered questions after Mass Effect 3 concluded and many players were unsatisfied with its ending. So unsatisfied, in fact, that Mass Effect 3's controversial ending was changed after the game was released to appease disgruntled fans. It still didn't deliver what the community was hoping for, but the effort was appreciated nonetheless. Perhaps the biggest question surrounding the upcoming game is how the various endings will affect Mass Effect 4 and its story. What characters will be involved in that story is not clear as of yet, but the fourth game could be a chance for fans to reconnect with their favorite characters. Additionally, new ones will likely be introduced as well, some of which may one day adorn the walls of a certain teacher's classroom. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Tatenda Taibu

Oggy and the Cockroaches

Idris Elba