1. Google Stadia takes streaming services mainstream
Can Google change the way that we play? It's a question many of us have been asking for eight months and we will finally begin to answer this week as the Internet behemoth rolls out its hotly anticipated streaming service around Western territories. Google Stadia wants to make gaming more accessible than it has ever been before as it looks to get rid of the box beneath the television and pitches a landscape where all you need to get access to some of the biggest games in the industry is a solid wi-fi connection. With many of the planned and promised features from that initial reveal missing at launch – and with a day one line-up that's left many feeling a little cold – it's clear that Stadia is going to have a slower roll-out than we had otherwise anticipated, but this first week will be an opportunity to see if the underlying technology actually works out in the wild. Will streaming services finally make the transition from science-fiction to reality? If any company can make it happen you'd think it would be Google – and we'll know for certain soon enough.
What: Google Stadia
Where: Google Stadia
When: November 19
2. Narcos: Rise of the Cartels channels the slow-burning tension of the Netflix show for an unexpected RTS adaptation
Ever since Stranger Things, Netflix has demonstrated a growing appetite to adapt its most popular shows into licensed video games, but its latest choice for an interactive adventure is most unexpected. Narcos: Rise of the Cartels turns the award-winning crime drama series into a bitesize real-time strategy game for PC and consoles, based loosely around the events of the show's first season. Image X-COM, but instead of aliens versus supermarines, its drug lords versus DEA agents, and you get the idea. So far, Netflix's slate of games has been… fine, but Rise of the Cartels has the opportunity to show the true potential of the streaming service's ambitions. Next up: Queer Eye - The Dating Sim.
What: Narcos: Rise of the Cartels
Where: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
When: November 19
3. Shenmue 3 finally comes out, 18 years after Shenmue 2https://youtu.be/Yu-wfcEKpXk
There are people who were born after Shenmue 2 came out who can legally vote and buy cigarettes in the United States of America. That’s how long fans have been waiting for the revenge tale / life sim / forklift simulator of teen martial artist Ryo Hazuki to continue. Even after series director Yu Suzuki raised millions of dollars to create Shenmue 3 on Kickstarter, it still took another four years - two years longer than originally estimated - for the final product to arrive. Now the day is at hand, and the only question that remains is whether it was all worth the wait… and if we’ll get even more Shenmue games after this, like Suzuki intends.
What: Shenmue 3
Where: PC and PS4
When: November 19
4. Frozen 2 swaps letting it go for an enchanted forest
The original movie had everyone from toddlers to US marines belting out its ballad, so Frozen 2 has big snowshoes to fill when it's released this week. This time around snow queen Elsa has started hearing voices, but luckily they're the 'start of a magical quest' kind rather than a mental health emergency. Supported by her sister Anna, Elsa must head to the Enchanted Forest, face the Dark Sea, and - hopefully - deliver another smasher of a hit song.
What: Frozen 2
Where: Movie theaters
When: November 22
5. Amazon’s The Feed goes all Black Mirror 2.0
Based on a Nick Clark Windo novel of the same name, The Feed can be best described as a Black Mirror episode gone supernova.
In a world where everyone is connected by a device known as the Feed – their thoughts, feelings, and even their memories – a whole lot can go wrong. And seeing as how ‘sci-fi’ and ‘dystopia’ go hand-in-hand, it’s only right seeing the technological implants go haywire very, very quickly.
The first trailer, refreshingly enough, doesn’t give too much away. That means A) the murky story surrounding The Feed’s breakdown will be filled with genuine twists and turns, and B) The inhabitants of a world suddenly torn from its safety net (including Game of Thrones’ Michelle Fairley) are probably all up to no good. After all, once you know, well, everything, you’ll stop at nothing to get that power back. Tune in on November 22 on Amazon Prime to find out what happens next.
What: The Feed
Where: Amazon Prime
When: November 22
Release Radar picks the best games, movies, and shows of the next seven days every Monday at 11am GMT.
