Monthly Archives: October 2019
9 Snack-Based “Advergames” That Didn’t Suck
2019 continues to be the weirdest year yet, with Wendy’s announcing a full-blown D&D-inspired tabletop RPG campaign that literally nobody was asking for (but was actually not half bad). But this isn’t the first time the food and beverage industry has crossed over into gaming. Known as “Advergames”, these bizarre corporate mash-ups have been around since the early ‘80s, with titles such as Pepsi Invaders and Kool-Aid Man for the Atari 2600.
So, let’s welcome our new corporate overlords as we look back on some of the more memorable (or...not so memorable) advergames over the years.
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Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game podcast. This week we're talking Link's Awakening and other remakes, Switch game recommendations for a gamer grandma, a Capcom controversy, and more. Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service.
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The Guardians of the Galaxy Battle the Greek Gods
Marvel is relaunching its monthly Guardians of the Galaxy comic in 2020, and the gang is battling a very unlikely new enemy - the gods of Olympus.
As announced at Marvel's Next Big Thing panel at NYCC, the latest volume of Guardians of the Galaxy will be written by Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk) and drawn by Juann Cabal (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man).
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 cover by Juann Cabal. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)
Silk Spectre Talks About the Watchmen in New Scene
At New York Comic Con today, executive producer Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) gave fans a first look at the premiere episode of Watchmen, his new show which is coming to HBO this month. (Check out our first impressions of the Watchmen premiere episode here.)
Also along for the ride to discuss the series were stars Regina King, Jean Smart, Jeremy Irons, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Hong Chau, Louis Gossett Jr., Tim Blake Nelson and director Nicole Kassell. Co-creator and artist of the original graphic novel Dave Gibbons was also a surprise guest on the panel, on hand to give his blessing to the project. (Writer Alan Moore has famously disowned adaptations of his comics work.)
Marvel’s Thor Comic Gets a Bold New Direction for 2020
Current Thor writer Jason Aaron is currently in the process of wrapping up a seven-year run on the series, and now Marvel Comics has revealed what's coming next for the god of thunder.
As part of their Next Big Thing panel at NYCC, Marvel announced a relaunch of the monthly Thor series. The new series will be spearheaded by writer Donny Cates (Venom) and artist Nic Klein (Deadpool).
Thor #1 cover by Olivier Coipel. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)
HBO’s Watchmen: First Impressions
Executive producer Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) unveiled the first episode of his new HBO series, Watchmen, at New York Comic Con today, giving us our first real idea what his sequel series to the iconic comic is all about. We’ll be reviewing the episode closer to its October 20 debut date, but we do have some first impressions of the premiere episode here. (Check out what else happened at the NYCC panel here.)
In short, HBO’s Watchmen looks like it has the potential to be a faithful continuation of the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons classic, though it’s also clearly a Lindelof production, as elliptical and potentially challenging a viewing experience as his previous HBO show, The Leftovers.
Marvel Comics Relaunches Star Wars Series, Set After Empire Strikes Back
Marvel Comics will relaunch its flagship Star Wars series in early 2020. Along with a brand new creative team comes a new time period, as the relaunched series sets out to fill in the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
First revealed by StarWars.com and announced at the LucasBooks publishing panel at New York Comic Con, the new volume of Star Wars will be overseen by writer Charles Soule (Star Wars: Darth Vader, Star Wars: Poe Dameron) and drawn by Jesus Saiz (Swamp Thing), with RB Silva (Powers of X) providing covers.
Star Wars #1 cover by RB Silva. (Image Credit: Marvel/Lucasfilm)
Marvel’s Avengers’ Ms. Marvel: Hands-On With The Newest Hero
There was a taste of superhero fatigue at the Marvel's Avengers unveiling at E3 this year. Here were the Avengers you know, rendered in their gorgeous MCU costumes, and voiced by facsimile versions of Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Mark Ruffalo. But something was still missing. Could the video game adaptation be the place to tell a story about someone new? Thankfully, Crystal Dynamics has had an ace up its sleeve this whole time. Her name is Kamala Khan.
Revealed at NYCC, Kamala Khan -- who has donned the Ms. Marvel leotard since 2013, and has quickly become one of the most popular characters in Marvel comics -- is the sixth playable character in Marvel's Avengers (out May 15, 2020 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia). Not only that, but studio head Scot Amos told me that she'll be serving as the story's "protagonist."
Death Stranding, Sekiro, and Bloodborne Are Getting Cool New Action Figures
One of the coolest things about attending comic conventions is seeing freshly unveiled prototypes of as-of-yet unreleased collectibles. This week, at New York Comic Con, Good Smile Company had a handful of prototypes on display that are so new, they haven't even been painted.
The previously-released Bloodborne Hunter Figma action figure is getting a couple friends in the form of Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower, who comes with an uncomfortable-looking Victorian chair to sit on, and the protagonist of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
But that's not all! If you were lucky enough to grab the stupidly-hard-to-track-down Bloodborne Hunter, his action figure is getting some DLC in the form of a weapon rack from The Old Hunters. Sadly, still no Threaded Cane, Kirkhammer, alternate head wearing a jaunty top hat, or tattered piece of someone's umbilical cord.
Marvel’s Avengers: Ms. Marvel Trailer Has Personality
Following the announcement at New York Comic-Con of Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel joining Crystal Dynamics' released the first trailer for Ms. Marvel in Marvel's Avengers. You can watch the new trailer in the video above.
During Marvel Games' New York Comic-Con panel, the company released the first trailer for Ms. Marvel which includes her role in the story, and her powers in action. Like in the comics, Kamala is a huge Avengers fan.
She was devastated to learn they broke up following the events of "A-Day" and the death of Captain America. She then discovers she is an Inhuman with the ability to "embiggen" parts of her body like her arms, which she can use to beat up bad guys.