The End of an Era - Great Cinema Men Have Died | More Trump Tariffs | Ocean of GTA 6 News | Witcher 3 - News | Xbox Helix | Game Pass | Rollercoaster Tycoon | HoMM 3 Remake | The Expanse: Osiris Reborn | 2KX0 Will Be Closed | CoD - Beta
Published on HivePostify by @herosik · Sat Aug 29 2026
[Game Price Increase?] As Politico reports, Donald Trump will raise tariffs semi-predictably, which means another price increase for hardware, games, etc. Cheers! https://gamerant.com/trump-tariffs-video-games/
[Tim Curry] Another great actor, known from numerous and very different films, has passed away. He was never my favorite, but I've never been able to permanently forget his distinctive face. That's probably why he was such a good fit for the hilarious (not for me, but for a certain group of players – yes) Red Alert 3.
Tim Curry also co-created old games in the '90s. I think he might have been one of those who jumped on the FMV gaming bandwagon (in short – during the computer boom, some predicted Hollywood would become obsolete. If young actors wanted to break into real fame, they should switch to gaming. A few benefited, but for most, it was more or less a waste of time). Tim Curry did quite well there, as he also played in the early 2000s, a few years later, and a bit more a few years later... He doesn't have a recognizable portfolio, but to say he has no gaming experience would be a terrible understatement. https://variety.com/2026/film/obituaries-people-news/tim-curry-dead-rocky-horror-picture-show-1236843955/
[Peter Cullen] Just as the passing of Tim Curry, the actress known from Heroes, or Dolly Parton didn't sadden me for long because they weren't in my main orbit of interest, Peter Cullen has been with me since childhood. Just as Doom/WarCraft 1 were my first gaming loves, Transformers, Gargoyles, and other projects (and there are many – Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, Voltron, and others), especially giant robots, were my first favorite animated films. I spent many hours watching cartoons with Polish voiceovers, whose warm, expressive, and emotional voice shone through. Almost every time I commented on Optimus's acting, I pointed out that he was one of the few people outside of Japan who have mastered voice acting in cartoons.
You may not like his expressions in anime, but objectively looking at his technique, emotions, voice acting, and characterization, the West doesn't have that many great voice actors. Peter Cullen was active almost until the very end of his life – his last assignment was probably Thaeduss from Invincible. It was a very cool role – he could show off some testosterone, philosophize, and play with other greats (J.K. Simmons) or the younger generation of actors (Steven Yeun).
Because he's Optimus Prime, he inevitably appeared in many other games due to the "importance" of his name. Transformers games without his voice were as ignored and criticized by many fans as Batman cartoons without Kevin Conroy. It's like Dragon Ball Z vs. Dragon Ball Z – it doesn't work.
He ended his great and probably beautiful life with very, very wise words: "be strong enough to be gentle."
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/peter-cullen-dead-voice-of-optimus-prime-eeyore-dies-85-1236845132/
[Andrea Eastman] I don't usually write about deceased film producers or other film set workers. I usually don't know them, unless they are truly outstanding experts in their field. I've heard of this woman, and she has made a huge contribution to the development of pop culture and the history of cinema. It's largely thanks to her that Marlon Brando and a completely unknown random no-name like Al Pacino made their name in Hollywood.
She guided Stallone's career when he was riding a wave of popularity and oceans of cash (I don't know if she served as his manager before or after Rocky the First's release). Back then, the guy was a young, testosterone-fueled man. Probably stubborn as hell, too, because he finally achieved success after so much hard work (by the way, a movie about this very thing is coming out soon – "I Play Rocky"). Stallone never hid the fact that he was a tough character.
She was also a typical "woman with balls," possessing so much character, commitment, and confidence in her high competence (confirmed by numerous, very good decisions). Apparently, she didn't mess around with dancing, and if she said "NO," it was "NO," and fuck it, she'd blame the boss. And if someone refused, she'd take her things and leave the job. We need people like that – we have too many yes-men in our culture and not enough competent people with balls. Being in charge isn't fun, and sometimes you have to make tough decisions, and those often involve being rude to someone. https://variety.com/2026/biz/news/andrea-eastman-dead-godfather-1236845555/
[Witcher] Well-written article, and I agree with its content. Aside from the simplified combat system and a few other things, the game has aged exceptionally well, and I barely felt like I was "playing an old game." Even the enemies and the open-world movement have aged surprisingly well. https://gamerant.com/witcher-3-remastered-gameplay-combat-movement-updates/
And there's another woman to flirt with and romance. The DLC creators have spoken about the game, how it connects to Part 4, and why it's such a good choice. https://gamerant.com/witcher-3-songs-past-dlc-romance-interest/
https://www.eurogamer.net/witcher-3-songs-of-past-letten-location-map
The game's price has increased by $10 on all platforms. It seems like a lot for such an old game, but then again, it's the price for the full version, which offers a TON of content that's almost repetitive. $50 for that is a small price to pay.
https://gamerant.com/witcher-3-price-increase/
And if you're really curious about more information, you can read this interview.
https://www.eurogamer.net/witcher-3-songs-of-the-past-story-written-years-ago-interview
[Horizon Hunters] The ignorant people at Sony must really hate their bones and teeth, because they're on their way to throwing money into the trash again. Nobody's going to play this, just like with Marathon. After all, the screenshots give it the vibe of a random mobile game, lol.
https://gamerant.com/horizon-hunters-gathering-reboot-sony-live-service-games/
[Xbox Helix] Asha Sharma spoke to the BBC about the next generation of Xbox. She pieced together the information so far – Microsoft has developed a similar system to Nintendo for transferring digital ownership to another player. There are supposed to be around 1,000 games from previous generations playable on the Helix console. Sharma couldn't say whether Helix will have physical discs. My guess is no, although this move would ensure a victory for Xbox. If I were Sharma, I'd be spamming management daily that if you mount a strong marketing campaign, you can crush Sony, digging them into a major financial hole. Just spam about it daily, elbow Sony in the ribs, and gamers will continue to push it forward for free. People are willing to forgive a lot of competition, even the ones they don't like, if they provide a solution to their most pressing problem. That's how we are as humans – supposedly the smartest animals on Earth, but also the dumbest xD. https://www.eurogamer.net/xbox-disc-to-digital-one-series-x-details
[Game Pass] We've received a list of games coming to Microsoft's service in September. I'd like to highlight Dune: Awakening, which has received very positive reviews. And on September 10th, we'll get Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage. https://gamerant.com/xbox-game-pass-games-september-coming-soon-list/
https://gamerant.com/xbox-game-pass-september-virtua-fighter-5/
[Danganronpa 2x2] There have been some changes regarding the game's distribution on Nintendo Switch 2.
https://gamerant.com/nintendo-switch-2-physical-danganronpa-2x2-game-key-card/
[Spine] The aesthetics of CP2077, combat like in Sifu, but combined with shooting? I think I'll play this game when it comes out, because the concept is quite interesting. https://gamerant.com/games-like-ps5-sifu-spine-release-date-when/
[KH 4] The script for Part 4 is reportedly twice as long as Part 3. The writer apparently wanted to keep adding new content, but the rest of the team told him to put it on hold.
https://gamerant.com/kingdom-hearts-4-kh4-story-script-how-long-kh3/
[Exodus] We probably won't see a return to the ME franchise, but we might get something similar. It's set to release on April 7, 2027, for PC, PS5, and Xbox.
https://www.eurogamer.net/exodus-release-date-mass-effect
[The Expanse: Osiris Reborn] The game will be released in spring 2027. https://gamerant.com/expanse-osiris-reborn-release-date-spring-2027/
[Game of Thrones: War for Westeros] They're developing an RTS game that will debut on Steam. Honestly, I'd love to play it, because GoT is the perfect setting for RTS games, but I have a feeling it might be weak. The release is likely early next year. https://www.eurogamer.net/game-of-thrones-war-for-westeros-gameplay-trailer
[RollerCoaster Tycoon] In the 1990s, specifically on March 22, 1999, a game created by a single person debuted. Like The Sims, the game connected both genders and people who don't like playing on PCs. You can laugh at the male Sailor Moon fans, but there were a surprising number of them. Similarly, more than one guy built and decorated a house in The Sims. Such were the times, it was popular, and that was that.
I remember my friends in elementary school sharing discs of the game. In fact, at one point, I was the only guy with a disc of RT 1, and my friends asked me to share mine. They struggled in computer science classes, and they didn't know any other games (except for The Sims or similar ones, if they had a brother who was as knowledgeable as me), but Roller Coaster was their favorite pastime.
By 2016, several installments were released – better and more accomplished – but I don't recall any that matched the first installment. Now Atari is trying again, with a release later this year. I wonder if it will succeed... https://gamerant.com/atari-rollercoaster-tycoon-wonderworks-winter-2026/
[HoMM 3] UbiSoft put the game up for sale on Steam, but it turns out that aside from a tiny file, there's nothing there, and we're paying for air. You French geniuses, did you copy a shortcut from your desktop to a disc? XD That's how you "copied games" for your friends in elementary school. XD
https://gamerant.com/ubisoft-release-heroes-of-might-magic-3-no-game/
[2KX0] Riot is shutting down another League of Legends-branded game. Again, because of the poor quality. What, are they clueless? They released a fighting game with such a ridiculous number of characters (Invincible, even though it premiered right after the show ended and didn't have AS MANY bugs as a LoL game) and they're shutting it down. It was obvious that games like that shouldn't exist.
https://gamerant.com/riot-games-2kx0-shutting-down-december-2026/
[Castlevania] One of the games will be shut down on September 3rd.
https://gamerant.com/konami-game-shutting-down-september-3-castlevania/
[CoD MW 4] The second weekend of beta testing is expected to be even more intense than the last. It started yesterday and will last until September 1st.
https://gamerant.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-4-open-beta-weekend-2-details/
[1666: Amsterdam] The game has entered Early Access. It is praised for its day and night cycle and its use of open-world features.
https://gamerant.com/1666-amsterdam-day-night-cycle-open-world-gameplay/
[LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight] The latest Lego-themed game will feature DLC introducing The Joker and his sidekick. Each character will have their own moves and gadgets.
https://gamerant.com/lego-batman-legacy-dark-knight-dlc-joker-harley-quinn/
[Iron Man] Studio Avalanche was working on a game featuring the popular Marvel hero. The title was canceled, but gameplay footage leaked online.
https://gamerant.com/avalanche-studios-canceled-iron-man-gameplay/
[Rainbow Six] The director said that he believes the "death = end" mechanic is a necessity for survival games. The option will be available on all difficulty levels and will be optional. It's nice that we're given a choice, because not everyone likes to play seriously.
Tags: #games#gaming#witcher#english#polish#news#movies