Silicon Valley executives are joining a new innovation corps in the Army Reserve.

Amazon hasn't yet released a full list of what's coming to Prime Video in June, but we do know what original titles are slated to premiere throughout the month. Prime original action comedy Deep Cover (June 12) has a stacked cast that includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed, and Sean Bean. In the film, Howard plays an improv comedy teacher who recruits two of her students (played by Bloom and Mohammed) to infiltrate London's gangs by pretending to be criminals. Countdown (June 25) is a new crime thriller series from Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas. An LAPD detective is recruited to a secret task force to investigate the murder of a Department of Homeland Security officer. And We Were Liars (June 18) is a psychological thriller series based on the titular novel by E. Lockhart, the plot of which follows the wealthy Sinclair family and the events of summer on their private island. Finally, there's sports doc American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans (June 12), which chronicles the journey to bring the American stock car Chevrolet Camaro to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Here are the originals coming to Prime Video in June.What’s coming to Prime Video in June 2025 Available June 12American Thunder: NASCAR to Le MansDeep CoverAvailable June 15The Chosen: Last SupperAvailable June 18We Were LiarsAvailable June 23Head Over HeelsAvailable June 25CountdownAvailable June 27Marry My Husband

Features Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Fan Theory Fixes Series’ Most Controversial Twist A new fan theory about the ending of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is gaining steam online. And it would fix what some consider to be the series' biggest mistake. By Tom Chapman | May 30, 2025 | | Photo: Paramount Pictures This article contains Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning spoilers. For now it looks like Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning really could be the end of the long-running spy series. While there’s plenty of talk about Tom Cruise hanging up his badge as the Impossible Missions Force’s Ethan Hunt or possibly handing over the baton to one of the many other unwilling recruits, there’s plenty of evidence that we’re not done yet. The critic scores and box office point to an appetite for Mission: Impossible 9, and now a popular online theory is taking off that a fan-favorite could soon be back in action. After Brian De Palma’s original Mission: ImpossibleRebecca Ferguson’s Isla Faust in 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning that sticks out more than most. Although Ilsa was seemingly killed by Esai Morales’ villainous Gabriel during a tense Venice action scene, the fact that her death seemed so sudden and was glossed over so quickly led many to believe she’d be back for The Final Reckoning. That’s sadly not the case, but what about in the franchise’s future? Previous outings have shown that Ethan’s dangerous career path affects his ability to hold down a relationship (Michelle Monaghan’s Julia in Mission: Impossible III). Additionally, the franchise is no stranger to bringing characters back from the dead (Jon Voight’s Jim Phelps in Mission: Impossible springs to mind). When both features are coupled with Ilsa’s somewhat underwhelming death, it’s no surprise that fans are clinging onto the idea she’ll return in the inevitable next movie. And during The Final Reckoning’s final scene, where Ethan splits from his team in London, eagle-eyed fans spotted him veering close to an unnamed woman who looks a lot like Ferguson’s dearly departed assassin. Some suggested it was Hayley Atwell’s Grace, but with her having already said her goodbyes and gone in a different direction, it clearly can’t be her. Supporters of the theory have latched onto footage of Ilsa from Fallout and compared it to the mysterious Final Reckoning woman. The stranger has a similar wavy hairstyle to Ilsa, and a choice in baggy clothes. It would also be a neat parallel of the pair parting ways and going in different directions (in London, no less) during Rogue Nation. Others have likened this theory to Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne meeting with Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle after he faked his death in The Dark Knight Rises. Given Ferguson’s raised profile in Silo and the Dune movies, landing her again would be a major coup, but what has the star herself said? Ferguson has previously explained why she felt the need to step away from Mission: Impossible, telling the Unwrapped podcast how it was more than just her three-movie deal being done: “Ilsa was becoming a team player. And we all can want different things, but for me, Ilsa was rogue. Ilsa was naughty. Ilsa was unpredictable. There was a lot of characters coming in, not leaving enough space for what she had been.” We previously said how Ilsa’s Dead Reckoning death effectively ‘fridged’ her character to catapult Ethan’s arc forward and leave more room for Grace to step up as a franchise lead. Most frustratingly, after becoming a mainstay of the previous two movies, she was forced to take a backseat in the first half of Dead Reckoning and given a quick demise that was barely referenced afterward. Going against the idea that we’ll see Ilsa again, Dead Reckoning’s Arabian-set opening already had Ethan help her fake her death. It’s true that we don’t see what happens to her body, but a double fake out might be even too much for a franchise that’s taught us to never trust what we see thanks to its mask technology and old-fashioned sleight of hand.  Another reason you shouldn’t start cheering Ilsa’s welcome return to Mission: Impossible is that McQuarrie might have shut down the theory before it even got to do the rounds. The issue of Ilsa’s absence has been a hotly contested one, especially considering Ferguson only appeared via archive footage without filming anything new. Despite the controversy, McQuarrie told theHappy Sad Confused podcast that “it’s the cost versus benefit. The death of essential characters has followed Ethan [Hunt] throughout every one of these movies. I don’t think up until that point a character that resonated so deeply with the audience had died.” While the director says he understands why some were dissatisfied with how it happened, he concluded, “Which is where I thought that wouldn’t motivate me to undo the one thing that gives Mission: Impossible teeth, which is ‘death is permanent’.” It’s no secret that the Mission: Impossible movies have tried their best to tie up loose ends. Thandiwe Newton denied rumors she was asked to reprise her role as Nyah Nordoff-Hall in Mission: Impossible III, Jeremy Renner recently told the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he turned down another chance to play William Brandt because he wanted to spend more time with his daughter, and Maggie Q told Yahoo in 2020 that she had to turn down two opportunities to reappear as Zhen Li due to filming commitments. Unfortunately for Faust fans, it sounds like McQuarrie thinks she got the ending he wanted. It might be hard to keep Ferguson’s return a secret if there’s another Mission: Impossible, and we’re still a long way from potentially seeing Isla Faust again. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

Tear up the court in NBA 2K25, survive a horror-filled manor in Alone in the Dark, combo your way through a future world in Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and take on some sci-fi adventures in Destiny 2: The Final Shape with June’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup. Let’s take a closer look at each game.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image NBA 2K25 | PS4, PS5 Stack wins, raise banners and make history in NBA 2K25. Command every court with authenticity and realism Powered by ProPLAY, giving you ultimate control over how you compete. Play anywhere, as you define your legacy in MyCAREER, MyTEAM, MyNBA and The W. Express your personality with an extensive array of customization options and explore an all-new City, where opportunity awaits behind every door. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Alone in the Dark | PS5 Alone in the Dark is an atmospheric reimagining of 1992’s ground-breaking survival horror of the same name. In 1920s America, Emily Hartwood recruits private detective Edward Carnby to aid in the search for her missing uncle. Their hunt leads them to Derceto Manor, a home for the mentally fatigued in the gothic American South that hides a dark secret. Play as either Edward or Emily as they explore Derceto and discover horrors that defy explanation. You’ll have to brave the shadows, solve environmental puzzles and survive chilling encounters with murderous creatures if you’re ever going to make it through this nightmare. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Bomb Rush Cyberfunk | PS4, PS5 Start your own cypher and dance, paint graffiti, collect beats, combo your tricks and face off with the cops to stake your claim to the sprawling metropolis of New Amsterdam. In this action-adventure platformer, Red is a graffiti writer who lost his head and instead has a cyberhead. In search of his roots he joins the Bomb Rush Crew, Tryce and Bel, who are aiming to go All City. Together they slowly discover who it was that cut off his head and how deep Red’s human side is linked to the graffiti world. All three games will be available to PlayStation Plus members on June 3 until June 30.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Destiny 2: The Final Shape | PS4, PS5  The Final Shape looms – a nightmarish calcification of reality into the Witness’s twisted design. Embark on a perilous journey into the heart of the Traveler, rally the Vanguard, and end the War of Light and Darkness. This Destiny 2 expansion* includes the new story campaign, new Prismatic subclass, three new Supers, a new destination and new weapons and armor to collect.  *Destiny 2: The Final Shape is available to PlayStation Plus members May 30. Requires the base game of Destiny 2, available on PlayStation Store, to play.  View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Last chance to download May’s games PlayStation Plus members have until June 2 to add Ark: Survival Ascended, Balatro and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun to their game library. 

"Fortnite" has a new AI-powered Darth Vader character that players can recruit to their team. Screenshot/Empire Strikes Back 2025-05-18T22:38:53Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Darth Vader is now a character on "Fortnite," using an AI version of James Earl Jones' voice. Jones's family said they allowed AI to use his voice because he wanted "all ages" to experience Darth Vader. Before Epic Games cracked down, the AI-powered Darth Vader was saying some questionable things. James Earl Jones's family allowed a "Fortnite" version of Darth Vader to use his voice. They probably didn't expect it to start swearing at players."Fortnite" added the Darth Vader character to the game on Friday. The character uses conversational AI to respond to questions from players, "Fortnite" maker Epic Games said in a blog post. Once a player recruits Darth Vader to their team, they can use a special button to let anyone on the team ask him questions."Ask him all your pressing questions about the Force, the Galactic Empire... or you know, a good strat for the last Storm circle, the Sith Lord has opinions," the post says.But players are asking the AI-powered villain about more than just "Fortnite." In one popular clip, Twitch streamer Loserfruit asks the AI-voiced Darth Vader what is his "freaking fucking favorite food."Darth Vader responds; "Freaking, fucking, such vulgarity does not become you Padme.""You inquire about sustenance, and yet speak like a common thug," Vader continues in the clip.Jones, who died in January 2024, played several iconic roles throughout his career, including the voice of Mufasa in "The Lion King" and Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" series.In 2022, Disney partnered with the Ukrainian AI company Respeecher to create an AI version of his voice that the studio could use for future projects involving Darth Vader.Jones's family said in a statement that they also allowed the use of the actor's voice in "Fortnite" because the late actor believed that the voice of Darth Vader was "inseparable from the story of Star Wars.""He always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it," the statement says. "We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character."A spokesperson for Epic Games told BI that Fortnite deployed a fix to stop Darth Vader from cursing "within 30 minutes of this happening in-game, so it shouldn't happen again.""While we added several specific rules and instructions as part of our guardrails to prevent Darth Vader from swearing or repeating swear words, in this instance, our filters did not catch a specific variation of an expletive," the spokesperson said. "Our hotfix addressed this."Epic says that it also put several safety measures in place to avoid players having negative experiences with Darth Vader, including standard Gemini safety settings and additional instructions to stop the AI from violating Epic community guidelines.If the game detects a player repeatedly attempting to get Darth Vader in "Fortnite" to violate Epic's rules, Darth Vader will leave the player's team, and they will be unable to recruit him again during that game session, the spokesperson told BI. Recommended video

Drop it like it's not (the piece you need right now) Drop Duchy is a deck-building, Tetris-like, Carcassonne-esque puzzler The game layers tile dropping onto worker placement, and stacks up nicely. Kevin Purdy – May 16, 2025 7:30 am | 2 Credit: The Arcade Crew Credit: The Arcade Crew Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more When my colleague Kyle Orland submitted Tetrisweeper for a list of Ars' favorite 2024 games not from 2024, I told him, essentially: "Good for you, not for me." I'm a pedestrian Tetris player, at best, so the idea of managing a whole different game mechanic, while trying to clear lines and prevent stack-ups, sounded like taking a standardized test while baking a three-layer cake. And yet, here I am, sneaking rounds of Drop Duchy (Steam, Epic, for Windows/Linux via Proton) into lunch breaks, weekend mornings, and other bits of downtime. Drop Duchy is similarly not just a Tetris-esque block-dropper. It also has you: Aligning terrain types for resources Placing both your troops and the enemy's Choosing which cards to upgrade, sell, and bring into battle Picking between terrain types to leave behind Upgrading a tech tree with achievements Picking the sequence of battles for maximum effectiveness Drop Duchy is a quirky game, one that hasn't entirely fused together its various influences without some seams showing. But I keep returning to it, even as it beats me to a pulp on Normal mode, based on decisions I made five rounds ago. It feels like a medium-deep board game, played at triple speed, with someone across the table timing you on how fast you arrange your tiles. Your standard roguelite deck-builder, Tetris tactics, worker placement game Drop Duchy launch trailer. Allow me to try to describe what is happening in Drop Duchy, ignoring entirely the idea that there is some kind of plot. You start off with three buildings and your enemy's buildings that you must place, mixed into a pile of terrain (plains and forest to start) in Tetris-like shapes. Filling a horizontal line gives you resources (wheat, wood, and stone) from that line but does not clear it. If you build up a big area of plains on your board, you can drop your "Farm" piece in the middle, and it converts those plains into richer plains. Put a "Woodcutter" into a bunch of forest, and it harvests that wood and turns it into plains. Set down a "Watchtower," and it recruits some archer units for every plains tile in its vicinity, and even more for richer fields. You could drop a Woodcutter next to a Farm and Watchtower, and it would turn the forests into plains, the Farm would turn the plains into fields, and the Watchtower would pick up more units for all those rich fields. That kind of multi-effect combo, resulting from one piece you perfectly placed in the nick of time, is what keeps you coming back to Drop Duchy. The bitter losses come from the other side, like realizing you've leaned too heavily into heavy, halberd-wielding units when the enemy has lots of ranged units that are strong against them. Or that feeling, familiar to Tetris vets, that one hasty decision you made 10 rows back has doomed you to the awkward, slanted pile-up you find yourself in now. Except that lines don't clear in Drop Duchy, and the game's boss battles specifically punish you for running out of good places to put things. There's an upper strategic layer to all the which-square-where action. You choose branching paths on your way to each boss, picking different resources, battles, and trading posts. Every victory has you picking a card for your deck, whether military, production, or, later on, general "technology" gains. You upgrade cards using your gathered resources, try to balance or min-max cards toward certain armies or terrains, and try not to lose any one round by too many soldiers. You have a sort of "overall defense" life meter, and each loss chips away at it. Run out of money to refill it, and that's the game. Again: It is not a Tetris clone Every run is a new set of cards that you upgrade, sell, reserve for certain terrain conditions, or wonder why you picked it. The Arcade Crew Every run is a new set of cards that you upgrade, sell, reserve for certain terrain conditions, or wonder why you picked it. The Arcade Crew Upgrading cards is almost always worth it—unless you need to replenish your overall defense. The Arcade Crew Upgrading cards is almost always worth it—unless you need to replenish your overall defense. The Arcade Crew Every run is a new set of cards that you upgrade, sell, reserve for certain terrain conditions, or wonder why you picked it. The Arcade Crew Upgrading cards is almost always worth it—unless you need to replenish your overall defense. The Arcade Crew The path you choose to encounters and trading posts makes a difference in Drop Duchy. The Arcade Crew The path you choose to encounters and trading posts makes a difference in Drop Duchy. The Arcade Crew See that river on the right, the one that would look great if only it could be connected? Welcome to this game. The Arcade Crew See that river on the right, the one that would look great if only it could be connected? Welcome to this game. The Arcade Crew The path you choose to encounters and trading posts makes a difference in Drop Duchy. The Arcade Crew See that river on the right, the one that would look great if only it could be connected? Welcome to this game. The Arcade Crew Drop Duchy feels, moment to moment, triumphalist and unfair, but that is its intended rogue-ish nature. Where I see issues with the game beyond that is in the little stuff. The game plays well on a Steam Deck or other handhelds, but if you have any issues with reading small text on a small screen, Drop Duchy is unforgiving. Many of the buildings look very similar, and the icons and text can be quite small. I feel the most for folks with extensive Tetris experience and muscle memory. Drop Duchy uses some non-standard pieces, like single, double, and three-square corners. And while line clearing is almost always rewarded, it can also work against you, like if an enemy's fort fits a slot, but also grants it lots of troops from the surrounding terrain. Drop Duchy can sometimes feel unbalanced, sometimes a bit unfair. Its bosses will typically require multiple runs before you figure out the right multi-round strategies. The game's many, many mechanics make this a title where I wouldn't blame someone for running the Tutorial round more than once. But, like golf, home repair, or setting up a server, the few times you get a round, or just a line, perfectly right can erase all the hard lessons you had to endure before. I keep finding things in Drop Duchy that seem impossible to overcome, and then I come right back and try it a different way. I think this title will get a few balance fixes, but even before those, it's a good run. Listing image: The Arcade Crew Kevin Purdy Senior Technology Reporter Kevin Purdy Senior Technology Reporter Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history. He has previously worked at Lifehacker, Wirecutter, iFixit, and Carbon Switch. 2 Comments

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" The box office still belongs to Marvel thanks to the success of Thunderbolts*. The MCU offering has grossed $278 million worldwide heading into its third weekend in theaters. However, Final Destination Bloodlines is poised for a franchise-best opening weekend that would top the box office. Theaters will be offering new summer blockbusters every week for the next three months. When you can’t make it to the theater, try streaming a free movie on a FAST service like Tubi and Pluto TV. These services continue to increase in popularity due to their no-cost options. Our recommendations for this weekend include a surprise horror hit, a Mission: Impossible entry, and a puzzling thriller. Recommended Videos We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+. Barbarian (2022) 20th Century Studios Cash your ticket if you had a member of The Whitest Kids U’ Know crafting one of the best horror movies of the last five years. Zach Cregger surprised audiences in 2022 with Barbarian, a horror movie set at a rental home in Detroit. Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) is surprised to find Keith (Bill Skarsgård) staying at her Airbnb. Despite her instincts telling her to leave, Tess spends the night with Keith. The next morning, things go off the rails. For fear of spoilers, I’ll stop there. Barbarian is a movie that you must see to believe. The twist is less effective the second time around, but if this is your first time, enjoy the madness. Stream Barbarian on Tubi. Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation (2015) Paramount Pictures It’s Mission: Impossible month in Hollywood, as audiences everywhere prepare for Tom Cruise to entertain them as Ethan Hunt one last time in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. As part of your rewatch,Rogue Nation should be on your list. After the death of a station operative, the Senate decommissions the IMF and forces its employees to join the CIA. Ethan refuses and goes on the run as he hopes to track down The Syndicate, a nefarious organization that threatens the global powers. Now a fugitive, Ethan recruits his old team and Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) to join him in his hunt to destroy this rogue nation. To trigger your memory, Rogue Nation is when Ethan hangs off the side of a plane. Stream Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation for free on Pluto TV. Escape Room (2019) Sony Pictures Final Destination Bloodlines is a franchise built on insane death scenes. These unfathomable sequences are like Rube Goldberg machines for murder. While Escape Room does not feature the violence of Final Destination, the elaborate life-or-death situations are something the two movies have in common. Six strangers are invited to take part in an escape room challenge. If the players complete the tasks, they will win $10,000. Once the first challenge begins, the group quickly realizes failure to complete a mission will result in physical harm, with death being one of the possibilities. Starring Taylor Russell and Logan Miller, Escape Room is a brisk and entertaining 100-minute thriller specifically made for people who love to solve puzzles. Stream Escape Room for free on Tubi.

ByEthan GachPublished2 hours agoWe may earn a commission from links on this page.Screenshot: Arrowhead Game Studios / KotakuFans are collectively shitting their pants and racing back to defend Super Earth as one of Helldivers 2's most consequential updates since launch hits the galactic airwaves. The latest content drop adds weapon customization options, new enemies, and a bunch of fresh fixes, as everyone prepares to defend against a new Illuminate threat emerging from a traveling black hole. Suggested ReadingThe Week In Games: Co-Op Bug Blasting And More New Releases Share SubtitlesOffEnglishSuggested ReadingThe Week In Games: Co-Op Bug Blasting And More New Releases Share SubtitlesOffEnglishThe Week In Games: Co-Op Bug Blasting And More New ReleasesGalactic Emergency patch 01.003.000 went live earlier today alongside new major orders for players to hold the only three planets—Widow’s Harbor, Pilen V, and New Haven—that lie between the Illuminate and Super Earth, as defenses around the home planet’s main mega cities are bolstered. It’s the first stage of what seems likely to be the biggest showdown since Helldivers 2 launched more than a year ago.Weapon customization will be the big new tool in players’ arsenals. The long-requested feature lets you level up most primary weapons by completing missions, unlocking new attachments and patterns for requisition in the process. It should allow players a much higher level of precision over how their favorite weapons look and feel, letting them mix-and-match from different sights, ammo clips, and recoil dampeners. Most importantly, it’ll give diehard recruits who have been helldiving for hundreds of hours something new to grind toward. The latest patch also adds new enemy types to the ranks of the Illuminate. There are the Stingray jetfighters that will deploy strafing runs against players, Crescent Overseers bombarding from the skies, and Frankenstein’s monsters called Fleshmobs that sound like Cronenbergian abominations as nasty to behold as they are to try to kill. Developer Arrowhead Game Studios is also hinting at “sightings of other, even larger ships” that might emerge in the days and weeks ahead. The new changes to Helldivers 2's universe arrive just ahead of the new Masters of Ceremony Warbond on May 15. The latest battle pass includes bayonets, swords, and a flag stratagem players can deploy to go full Patriot mode on invading alien hordes. It’s the perfect set of rewards to roll out just as Helldivers 2's biggest battles are about to get underway, even if the armor passives look pretty underwhelming. Some players have already called for an Armor Customization system to match the new weapon modding. Key in the moment-to-moment defending of Super Earth will be patch 01.003.000's balance changes and fixes. Some of the highlights include more precision for SGMs, higher damage fall-off for pistols, less stamina consumed by melee attacks, and burn damage that scales against bigger enemies. But don’t worry, “The Helldiver is now slightly more resistant to being set on fire,” as well. Most importantly, the R-36 Eruptor, an old favorite, is now back on the menu thanks to a number of buffs. All in all, it’s feeling like the best time to return to PVE extraction shooter since the Illuminate first arrived in Helldivers 2 last December. Players could be about to make Galactic history, or suffer their worst defeat yet..