Monthly Archives: October 2017
Venom Heads to Space With X-Men Blue
Spinning out of Marvel Comics' Venomverse event, Venom will team up with the X-Men Blue team and head into space to fight the symbiote-consuming Poisons in a storyline called "Poison X."
This six-part crossover will kick off in January's X-Men Blue Annual #1 by Venomverse writer Cullen Bunn and artist Edgar Delgado with cover art by Nick Bradshaw.
Art by Nick Bradshaw. (Marvel Comics)
The Best Board Games for Beginners
Board games are making a comeback, which is great, because board games are awesome. But the sheer number of games now on shelves can make it hard to spot the gateway games ideal for newbies.
Don’t sweat. We’ve compiled a list of awesome games to ease you into the ever-growing world of tabletop awesomeness. Don’t think “beginner” means these are games that a veteran board gamer wouldn’t play. These are all games respected and loved across the hobby. They also happen to be easier to learn and introduce mechanics that more complex board games will assume you already have experience with.
All you need to enjoy any of these polished, ultra-fun, and lightweight board games are a few people to play with. If your friends aren't up for it, it should be easy to find a local group. Search to see if there's a local board game store, and they'll be able to advise you. Otherwise try Meetup.com or BoardGameGeek.com for groups near you.
Shatner Says ‘Money’ Would Get Him on Discovery
Star Trek legend William Shatner is going strong at age 86, filling his time with his new animated movie Batman vs. Two-Face (he voices Two-Face!) releasing this month, the reality show Better Late Than Never heading into a second season in 2018, what seems like constant convention appearances, and much more. So why not bring him back for another round as Captain Kirk in Star Trek too? His late colleague Leonard Nimoy had roles in two of the J.J. Abrams-verse films, after all, and there is a new Star Trek show, Discovery, currently airing.
Never mind that his version of Kirk died in Star Trek: Generations. That's easy to get around in the world of sci-fi! So when I spoke with Mr. Shatner at New York Comic Con last weekend, I asked him what it would take to get the icon to appear on Star Trek: Discovery.
Pennywise Actor: Sequel Could Be ‘Psychedelic Trip’
Bill Skarsgard has become the "It" dude of Stephen King projects lately. Not only did he bring the supernatural clown Pennywise to life in last month's hit film adaptation of King's IT, but the actor is also set to co-star in Castle Rock, the upcoming Hulu original series inspired by the horror icon's work.
I spoke to Skarsgard about Castle Rock at New York Comic Con over the weekend (look for that story soon), but the topic of Stephen King's IT: Chapter 2 of course also came up. The actor discussed his high hopes that the sequel will delve into the cosmological craziness of Pennywise and his back story. Full spoilers follow for the novel and potential spoilers follow for IT: Chapter 2.
Third Party Switch Dock Designed for Portability
Part of the allure of the Nintendo Switch is the ability to take it with you, wherever you go, while at the same time having the option to drop it into its dock and play on the big screen. Those two things have almost been mutually exclusive, until now.
Peripheral maker Nyko introduced a portable docking kit that folds up neatly, includes an HDMI cable and an AC adapter, and has a really small footprint when compared to the Nintendo dock.
Not only is it smaller than the official dock, it's about half the price, too, coming in at $49 USD. It also includes two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port, so you can charge stuff like your Pro Controller, for example.
Nintendo Switch has been a hit for the company, with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime saying the company "over delivered" on initial Switch shipments of 2 million units. That number exceeded the predictions of analysts.
We Built Our Ultimate Review PC
Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.
When I joined IGN as PC editor, I knew I had to build myself the perfect review machine. A PC that was strong enough to run any game I could throw at it, but not so strong that I wouldn’t be able to tell when performance issues or poor optimization were afoot.
With that balance in mind, I put together my ideal list for a powerful but not unrealistic PC that I could use to review and highlight as many great games as I could find for you. Then, I filled it to the brim with infinity mirrors and LEDs to make it look as cool as possible, because why not?
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth Dev Announces New Switch Game
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth developer Nicalis has announced its new horror-themed game, Knight Terrors, which will be released for Nintendo Switch on October 24.
This arcade-style side-scroller, which is being developed by Nicalis and FreakZone Games, sees players control a mysterious suit of armor known as The Knight, who battles with a sword and can fly with his blood-red wings. For a look at the game in action, check out the trailer below:
In Knight Terrors, players will race through countrysides to battle all sorts of ghouls, flaming skulls, and plenty of other ghastly enemies in procedurally generated levels. The game features simple two-button controls, sprite graphics, power-ups, high score tracking, and multiple unlockable game modes. You'll have to avoid spiked pits, and it'll be "game over" for The Knight if he takes three hits or allows three enemies to pass.
Thor: Ragnarok Begins a Three-Movie Arc for Hulk
Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo informed IGN during a recent interview that Thor: Ragnarok is the beginning of a three-movie story arc for the giant, green Avenger, one that will follow Bruce Banner as he faces profound questions about his alter ego and changes to his powers.
I asked Ruffalo how the Hulk -- who runs on anger and provocation -- can remain the Hulk on Sakaar, where he's been living comfortably as a gladiatorial champion and beloved celebrity in the two years since last being seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. As Ruffalo explained, "The rules don't apply anymore. That's what's so confounding to Banner and frightening. That's kind of the exciting progression of the Banner/Hulk relationship moving forward."
Titanfall Dev Respawn Announces Oculus Rift VR Game
Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment announced it's working on an Oculus Rift VR game.
As detailed on a recent blog post and via a short announcement trailer, which you can view below, the game is slated for release in 2019 and is some sort of a shooter.
However, not much else about the project is currently known, including a name. Also, it's neither Star Wars nor Titanfall-related.
Director Peter Hirschmann called emotion "the most intense" part of making a game in VR.
"While you know you’re wearing a headset, your brain processes VR on an emotional level," he said, adding "it’s all kinds of awesome."
Microsoft Announces 4 New Xbox One S Bundles
Microsoft has announced four new Xbox One S bundles in a post on Xbox Wire, three of which are tied to specific games while the fourth is meant to highlight the company's Netflix-like Game Pass service.
Each bundle will cost $279 and will include a 500 GB white Xbox One S, a wireless controller, 3 months of Xbox Live Gold, and 1 month of Xbox Game Pass.
The Ultimate Halo Bundle will include codes for both Halo 5: Guardians and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, giving fans access to every numbered entry in the iconic series so far. This bundle is exclusive to Walmart in the United States.