Actor Ben Starr, known for his roles in Final Fantasy XVI, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Hades 2, has revealed that he auditioned for the role of James Bond in 007: First Light. He didn't get the part, which ultimately went to Patrick Gibson, and Starr said he was "so f**king happy" to have not gotten the role.

"I never would have gotten it. I was terrible,” Starr told VGC. “I remember doing a self-tape for it. I did the GoldenEye scene, and I got recalled to meet the team.

“I was a couple of years into doing Final Fantasy at that point, and it hadn’t been released, so I was just a young actor who liked video games," he added.

Ben Starr.

Although Starr got a callback for the part, he said he "kind of crumbled under the pressure" and did not "deliver what they wanted."

"I’m so f**king happy I didn’t get anywhere near it, because my god, Patrick Gibson is so f**king good. He’s unbelievable,” Starr said.

First Light is expected to get a sequel, and we'd imagine that Gibson would come back for it. As for Starr, one of his upcoming projects is for the strategy game Stronghold 4.

Splitgate developer 1047 Games is back with Empulse, a new competitive shooter that, as GameSpot discovered, is to Titanfall 2 what Splitgate was to Halo. Jean-Luc got to go hands-on with the new shooter, which enters early access later this month.

Though it's heavily inspired by the Titanfall games, which should be pretty clear from the gameplay footage, it wasn't the sole source of inspiration for Empulse. Jean-Luc found the gunplay to feel closer to the Halo-y style of Splitgate than the ADS-heavy Titanfall, but the movement and grappling abilities, as well as the mechs (yes, this game has mechs) should be very familiar to fans of Respawn's masterpiece.

One big change from Titanfall 2 is the way you deal with those mechs if you're on the ground. There are no dedicated anti-mech guns here, but you do have access to a big ol' hammer that is very effective against them.

Rather than use a free-to-play model like Splitgate, Empulse is a $20 release, and 1047 is going with an old-school monetization approach--there will be no cash shop when the game launches in early access on June 24 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A demo will be available via Steam Next Fest on June 15.

After months of speculation, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was unveiled for Switch 2 during this week's Nintendo Direct. It's the latest in a long line of remakes and remasters for Zelda 3D titles, but also raises the question: Why aren't there new versions of the franchise's first three mainline entries?

Nintendo has never remade The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, or The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. These 2D classics for NES and SNES are what made people fall in love with the action-adventure series to begin with. They even feature gameplay features still seen today in the series, like puzzle-filled dungeons, pot breaking, and satisfying secrets to discover. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze-346WTsI0

Weirdly, the only 2D Zelda to get a proper remake is The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening on Switch. That's the fourth entry in the mainline franchise, and while a dark-horse favorite of fans, it doesn't have the same widespread acclaim as A Link to the Past. In fact, to this day, many still consider that SNES game as the pinnacle of the series. 

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past did get re-released on Game Boy Advance, with multiplayer-centric The Four Swords added on to the experience. That game's version of Hyrule was also remade in A Link Between Worlds--so maybe Nintendo considers that 3DS title to be a remake of sorts. 

But still, in a world where every 3D Zelda game has received the remake or remaster treatment (including Switch 2 Edition upgrades), it's a bit odd Nintendo hasn't given the same glow-ups to the original triforce of games in the franchise. Sure, I'd prefer new Zelda games over these, as someone who remembers playing A Link to the Past as a kid. But at the same time, those 2D classics deserve a second time in the spotlight.

Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will see its second remake later this year on Switch 2 after previously getting a 3DS makeover in 2011. Nintendo withheld showing any gameplay in the reveal trailer, which hopefully signals bigger changes than just a visual overhaul.

Best Zelda Games, Ranked – Where Does Echoes of Wisdom Fall? View Images

The latest developments for HBO's The Last of Us are coming into focus, including production shutting down due to the World Cup and a big name joining the cast.

Deadline reports that production on Season 3 is undergoing a "mid-shoot hiatus" for about a month. This is because the show films in Vancouver, and that's also a World Cup regional site. This is causing headaches and disruptions locally, so HBO has opted to shut down production temporarily.

The World Cup final takes place on July 19. It's not precisely clear when production on Season 3 will resume, but Deadline said it's expected to film through the end of 2026, with the new season debuting in 2027. As previously reported, it could be the show's final season.

As for the new cast member, the report said veteran character actor Peter Sarsgaard is going to play the role of Amon, a leader of the Seraphites. If that name does not sound familiar, it's because Amon was invented for the show, and we'll apparently be seeing a lot of him. The report said Amon will be a recurring character.

Amon isn't The Last of Us show's first original character not from the games, as Yellowjackets actor Melanie Lynskey played the revolutionary leader Kathleen. Additionally, Season 1 showed fans the life of Frank (Murray Bartlett), who was only seen in the games as a dead body.

Sarsgaard has more than 70 acting credits to his name. He is known for his roles in the movies Garden State, Jarhead, Black Mass, The Batman, and Green Lantern. He's done a lot of TV work as well, including Dopesick and Presumed Innocent; he earned Emmy nominations for both of those shows.

Craig Mazin is the sole showrunner for Season 3, following the departure of Neil Druckmann. The story is expected to focus on Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), though Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is going to show up as well. Ramsey has said that after The Last of Us, they plan to steer away from those kinds of roles.

As for the game series, The Last of Us: Part III is rumored to be in the works at Naughty Dog, but this is not confirmed. The company is working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet right now