After seven years of work from more than 80 contributors, the anticipated Battlefield 3 Reality Mod will finally launch next week, adding features like a day-night cycle and a revamped health and medic system to the base game.

Today, the massive team behind the mod shared a trailer for v0.1, which is now set to launch on July 17.

"BF3: Reality Mod is a BF3 modification that focuses on communication and teamwork," the developers said. "It draws inspiration from the successful BF2 "Project Reality" mod. It offers a complete gameplay and UI overhaul that creates a more tactical and meaningful experience."

New Battlefield 3 Reality Mod is finally here! Check out the video for gameplay 🔻https://t.co/GfXRYcD6aN —-
#battlefield #battlefield3 pic.twitter.com/0W4Edocj3j

— DooM49 (@DooM49) July 11, 2022

According to the mod's roadmap, the upcoming release will introduce the following features:

• Custom spawn system (FOBs & Rally Points)
• Adjusted game pace (movement / weapon-handling speed)
• Gunplay (suppression / recoil / damage)
• Adjusted gun / explosion sounds
• Health and medic system (bleeding / bandaging / reviving)
• Custom UI (main-menu / spawn-menu / map / comm-rose / HUD)
• AAS game mode
• 5 modified and expanded vanilla maps
• Two custom factions (USMC / Russian Army)
• 9 pre-fixed kits per faction
• Modified vanilla vehicles (transport only)
• Improved visuals (day-night cycle / weather)

While this release adds plenty of impressive new mechanics and visual improvements to the game, the team was careful to note that this release is "a starting point." Future releases will polish these mechanics while adding new game modes, custom maps, and other playable units.

We gave the original Battlefield 3 a 9, calling it "one of the best multiplayer experiences of the year." We also reviewed Battlefield 2's Project Reality mod, which inspired the upcoming BF3 mod, praising its "ruthlessly demanding" realism.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they've contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Spoiler Warning: Minor spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder follow

As MCU Phase 4 drags on, it's fair to wonder what's happening with the various characters portrayed by Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, and Jeff Goldblum, among others. Thor: Love and Thunder provides few answers, though, mostly because their planned cameos were ultimately cut.

Speaking in an interview with Insider, director Taika Waititi explained why the appearances didn't make it to the final release, and why they're unlikely to show up in the inevitable deleted scenes — at least if he has anything to say about it.

"I'm not going to give you a moment because this is my way of telling you, like, people say, 'I can't wait for the deleted scenes with those actors,'" Waititi said. "I don't want people to see the deleted scenes because they're deleted for a reason: They aren't good enough. [Laughs.] The scenes were not in the movie and that's it."

Expounding on the decision to cut certain scenes from Thor: Love and Thunder, Waititi said that it probably had about the "same amount" removed as his other projects. He hinted that most of the decisions were made in the name of pacing, saying that sometimes a scene can be "most funniest or intriguing thing," but that they can also make the movie "screech to a halt."

As for the reactions of Goldblum, Headey, and Dinklage to being cut, Waititi mostly shrugged.

"[I]f you ask any of those actors who were cut out — Jeff Goldblum, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage — they all understand how it works. They have been in the game long enough. But that's just the way I look at things," Waititi said.

He's also quite opposed to doing his own version of the infamous Snyder Cut, so don't expect a "Waititi Cut" of Thor: Love and Thunder anytime soon… if at all. Regardless, there's plenty to sort through in Thor 4, including the usual end credits scene and mystery character.

Thor: Love and Thunder is now available in theaters, earning $302 million over the weekend, but its overall reception has been mixed. Check out our full review right here.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Even though the official Prime Day start date is July 12, Amazon started things off with early Prime Day deals on Amazon devices. Among the deals, naturally, are Kindles and Kindle bundles.

Prime Day Kindle Deals

Looking at the features of the Kindle Kid edition, I'm not exactly sure why you wouldn't just want to buy that one instead of literally any other Kindle. Don't get me wrong, I have a base model Kindle and it's awesome, but looking over the specs between the Kindle and the Kindle Kids… I'm going to have to say the Kindle Kids is the better choice, by a pretty wide margin.

Here are some reasons why I think the Kindle Kids is the better choice. First of all, both Kindle Kids and Kindle have the same 6-inch 167ppi screens with 4-LED backlighting. Secondly, the Kindle Kids comes with a 2-year warranty as opposed to the regular Kindle's single year of coverage. Thirdly… well, the Kindle Kids is $50 and it includes a cover.

In fact, outside of those covers, there's really nothing overtly "kiddie" about the Kindle Kids. It looks like a regular e-reader, although the menu on the kids includes achievements to help encourage kids to read. But beyond that, it's just the same device, same display, same storage, for $40 less than the base model Kindle, AND you get a free year of Amazon Kids+.

Oh, and the covers aren't really "kiddie," either. In fact I'd say their designs are pretty nice, the sort of cover you could use everyday. It's not Baby Shark or something.

Anyway, now that I've talked myself into replacing my Kindle with a Kindle Kids, I suggest checking out more of the Prime Day sales, including Walmart's summer sale happening right now to compete with Prime Day.

Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

Seth Macy is Executive Editor, IGN Commerce, and just wants to be your friend. You can find him hosting the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast.

We are less than a day until Prime Day 2022 officially kicks off. With deals and savings across the board available in different categories, there are ample opportunities to save on just about anything you may be looking for.

Gamers, if you are a fan of arcade cabinets and are looking to pick one up for your home, Amazon and Best Buy have deals on Arcade1Up cabinets, with up to $300 in savings available. From 3/4 arcade cabinets to pinball machines and gaming tables.

Some deals worth highlighting include Terminator 2, Ridge Racer, and The Simpsons arcade machines. Each cabinet is $300 off ($399.99 each). The deals are available at both Amazon and Best Buy, and it is important to note these are the lowest prices to date.

All the Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

There are plenty more discounts to go around, so take a look at our complete list of Prime Day coverage below.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

There's no better time for you to score what is inarguably the best smartwatch on the market. For Amazon Prime Day, the current generation Apple Watch Series 7 smart watch has dropped to the lowest prices we've ever seen. Pretty much every single Apple Watch Series 7 model is on sale right now. That includes the base aluminum GPS 41mm model that starts at a rock bottom price of $279, all the way up to the stainless steel GPS + cellular models with the fancy Milanese loop strap. All color options are discounted.

Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch Series 7 Deals

The Apple Watch Series 7's most obvious improvement from its predecessors is its larger screen. The Apple Watch Series 7 has a 20% larger screen and can now fit an entire touch-sensitive keyboard on the watch face itself. The watches come in 41mm and 45mm sizes, a slight increase over the Apple Watch Series 6.

The display on the Apple Watch Series 7 is always-on, and is 20% brighter than the previous Apple Watch. In spite of increased brightness, the Series 7 boasts the same 18 hours of battery life, as well as 33% faster charging than the Series 6.

The Series 7 also follows Apple's trend of emphasizing health-related features unique to the Apple watch compared to other smartwatches. There's a blood oxygen and ECG app standard with the Apple Watch Series 7, as well as high and low heart rate and irregular heart rhythm notifications.

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