Monthly Archives: December 2019
IGN UK Podcast: Christmas Quiz Special 2019
Merry Christmas! Joe, Dale and Cardy are here to fill your day with even more joy by playing a few Endless Search games with you. So huddle round the fireplace, grab a bottle of mulled wine and enjoy!
Remember, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, please do: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com
Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary Answers Major Plot Holes
While there is a ton to take in while watching Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, there is even more to learn in the official Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary -- and a lot of information that answers some Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker plot holes.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. For more on Rise of Skywalker, check out lightsaber color meanings explained and the Rise of Skywalker ending explained.
Scientists Can Now Make Synthetic Spider Web Silk
Move over, Spider-Man, your web-shooters may not be the only ones on the block anymore. Scientists have finally cracked the code on developing synthetic spider silk by modifying bacteria.
As reported by ScienceNews, it notes that "Engineers have tried for decades to create a synthetic mimic from genetically modified bacteria, yeast, and even goat milk, but have always fallen short." But, this time, scientists have modified strand of E. coli bacteria and were successful, resulting in a material that is virtually identical to its natural counterpart.
“We can now use bacteria to produce something as good as nature,” says synthetic biologist Fuzhong Zhang of Washington University in St. Louis during an annual meeting for the American Chemical Society.
The 14 Best-Reviewed TV Shows of 2019
With more original scripted TV shows being released than there are days of the year, chances are you -- like us -- are using the holidays to catch up on hidden gems you may have missed. There are so many different ways to categorize what makes great TV: it could be a recommendation from a trusted friend, buzz around a major title or even the suggestion of a media outlet you like and respect.
In the spirit of the latter category, we have gathered up the 14 best-reviewed scripted TV shows of the year according to review aggregate website Metacritic. These series met universal acclaim from the critics who reviewed them, ranging from long-running series like Veep and Billions to newcomers like Undone and Back to Life. Note: simply due to the volume of content Netflix creates, we have created a separate list of just their best-reviewed titles which we will be running on Christmas Day.
U.S. Army Is Concerned by Cyborg Soldiers Due to Terminator Movies
While the U.S. Army is currently planning for how human-machine hybrids may impact the proverbial battlefield in 2050, it is also addressing and taking seriously its concerns. Specifically, the army is worried that "humans are biased against deadly cyborg soldiers, just because we've all seen the Terminator franchise and it doesn't work out very well for the humans."
As reported by Gizmodo, the U.S. Army recently released a new report titled "Cyborg Soldiers 2050: Human/Machine Fusion and the Implications for the Future of the DOD," and it dives deep into how human soldiers can be augmented with such things as "cybernetic ears and brains jacked into the internet" and how this may affect our future.
IGN’s Staff Reviews Netflix’s The Witcher
The Witcher: Season 1 is now available on Netflix, and a bunch of IGN's staff spent the weekend binging the newest adventures of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri.
In addition to the official IGN review posted on Monday (and all the individual episode reviews posted on Friday), below you'll find reactions from eight staff members across all of our content-making departments -- from editorial to social, video to product -- all of which are kept as spoiler-free as possible.
Following the format of our staff reviews of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we had each staff member who participated in these unofficial ratings choose the word on the IGN review scale that they felt best reflected their sentiments rather than assigning a number score.
The 2020 PS4 Games We Can’t Wait to Play
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Max Scoville to answer YOUR viewer and listener questions, kicking things off with a debate about which 2020 game we can't wait to play.
The cast debates whether we're more excited for Cyberpunk 2077, The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, or Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Plus, we answer more questions from listeners and viewers about games of the generation we didn't see but wish we did, cast emotes, and holiday traditions.
Have a question, Memory Card story, or something else to share with the cast? Write in to beyond@ign.com.
Poll Time: Vote on the Best and Worst Star Wars Movies
With so many Star Wars fans split on The Rise of Skywalker – the finale of the Skywalker Saga which released last weekend – we wanted to ask IGN readers which Star Wars movies have been your favorites and least-favorites over the years.
Vote below and leave your opinions in the comments if you'd like!
For everything Star Wars, check out our staff reviews of The Rise of Skywalker, which range from people thinking the film was mediocre to great. Also, read about the 26 planets introduced in the Star Wars films after Disney acquired the rights to Lucasfilm, and find out every cameo in The Rise of Skywalker.
The 13 Biggest Video Game Surprises of 2019
2019 was a big year for video game releases and announcements. With games like Resident Evil 2, Sekiro, and Borderlands 3 all out this year, there was a lot we knew we would *probably* enjoy. However, there were also a bunch of surprises that caught us off guard, so we decided to round up the biggest stories that we weren’t expecting. Here are thirteen of the biggest video game surprises of 2019.
Apex Legends
Apex Legends surprised everyone when it dropped into the battle royale scene on February 4, 2019. With no prior announcements or teasers and only a handful of leaks, Respawn released Apex to overwhelmingly positive reactions and amassed 25 million players by the end of its first week. Apex set itself apart from the other major battle royale games by focusing heavily on teamwork, with the only game mode grouping players into teams of three. Respawn also implemented an innovative “ping” system that revolutionized non-verbal team communication by allowing players to mark locations, enemies, weapons, equipment, and directions. This allowed for accurate callouts and more accessibility options that hadn’t existed in the battle royale genre before. Also, the ability to respawn a dead teammate was a dramatic change for the genre. Considering it still routinely has approximately eight to 10 million players a week, Apex Legends can be called a big success.
Every Dead Star Wars Movie Character
Warning: Spoilers for all of Star Wars, including The Rise of Skywalker, follow...
It took four decades but the Skywalker Saga has finally come to a crusading close, marking the perfect time to look back on all the lives lost in the galactic rebellion's righteous war for freedom against constant crushing Imperial forces.
So many bodies have been obliterated on both sides, from Sith Lords to Jedi Masters, Tatooine crime lords to X-Wing warriors. Some have gotten blown to smithereens, others ripped apart by monsters. Some were even able to peacefully fade away and unite themselves with the universe's one true energy.
Below you'll find a basic rundown of all the major characters -- heroes and villains -- who've perished in the live-action Star Wars films. Named characters, of course, with cannon fodder sort of clumped in with major battles and assaults. May the Force be with this In Memoriam!