Monthly Archives: December 2019
Keep Your Electronics Safe from Power Spikes with the Best Surge Protector
Surge protectors aren’t sexy purchases; like replacing a stove, buying one doesn’t seem like you’re getting much for your money—there are so many cooler things to invest in. But a surge protector prevents electrical surges (hence, the name) from damaging your gaming PC, gaming console, 4K TV, and myriad other sensitive electronics in your home. As such, it’s money well spent, since a surge protector can keep everything from ordinary line surges to lightning storms from blowing out your PC’s power supply or frying your laptop’s motherboard.
The 11 Worst-Reviewed Shows on Netflix in 2019
The era of peak TV showed no sign of slowing down in 2019. Netflix alone put out so much original content this year that keeping up with everything has become a full-time job. In these trying TV times, it's up to critics to separate the wheat from the chaff and let everyone else know what shows are worth their valuable binge time. Not every series can be as good as The Crown or Russian Doll.
Below, we've put together a list of the worst-reviewed Netflix shows of 2019 according to review aggregator Metacritic. The site grades on a scale of 0 to 100 according to the following parameters: "We carefully curate a large group of the world’s most respected critics, assign scores to their reviews, and apply a weighted average to summarize the range of their opinions. The result is a single number that captures the essence of critical opinion in one Metascore."
Get a Look at Baby Sonic in a New Trailer for the Live-Action Movie
If you thought the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie redesign was the last new version of Sonic we’d see for a while, think again. A new Japanese trailer and poster for the movie has revealed that we’ll get a look at baby Sonic in all his adorably toddler glory.
You can watch the trailer here, which starts off with the new look at baby Sonic as he sprints through the recognizable Green Hill Zone we’ve seen in the previous trailer. We get a good look at baby Sonic running around, and then delivering a sunflower to an unseen character, although Sonic appears to be looking up, so it’s safe to assume that it’s someone older than him.
How Will Nintendo Deal With PS5 and Xbox Series X?
We are less than one year from the release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (and probably a Series S too, but that's neither here nor there for the purposes of this discussion...), and with it comes the question: what will happen to Nintendo third-party support? How will Nintendo respond?
The House That Mario Built has seen a resurgence in external software support over the course of the Switch generation, but as the competition moves onto more powerful hardware, the performance gap between the Switch and the competition will only widen. That said, the Switch is a huge hit. So will third parties stick around? We assembled hosts from our three platform-specific podcasts: Brian Altano (NVC), Jonathon Dornbush (Beyond), and Ryan McCaffrey (Unlocked) to discuss the topic at hand. (Note that this was recorded the day of The Game Awards and thus we didn't know the official name of Project Scarlett yet, so please forgive that in the video.)
This Beetle Preserved in Amber Was Possibly One of the First Insects to Pollinate Flowers
Scientists believe an ancient beetle trapped in amber is now direct evidence that insects were pollinating flowers nearly 100 million years ago.
Science Magazine reports that the species of beetle in question, called Angimordella burmitina, is related to a modern species of beetles that pollinate flowers. Researchers said the beetle was encased in amber 99 million years ago.
The beetle was recovered from Southeast Asia in 2012, but it went unnoticed until recently. Then, a paleontologist polished the amber and noticed the beetle had characteristics seen in modern-day pollinating beetles, including leg-like appendages for collecting pollen. Most notably, the researchers found 62 grains of pollen covering the beetle's thorax, abdomen, and legs.
10 Video Game Tropes to Leave in the Last Decade
A new decade is almost upon us, meaning it’s a time for reflection and gratitude. But it is also a time for bitching about all the trends and tropes we hated from the last ten years in gaming. Guess which one I'm about to do?
That’s right, it's time to talk about the top 10 gaming tropes (we should leave in the last decade).
Flip through the slideshow above or scroll down the page for my full list.
1. Audio Logs, Emails, Memos, Notes, and Diaries for “Worldbuilding”
Anything that takes you out of the game to dispense lore that doesn’t advance the plot or expand on the world in a meaningful way should be abolished. My least favorite are the ones that stop playing or get real quiet whenever another character starts talking…in a game where characters never stop talking. What about the ones that clip off when you reach a story checkpoint just inches away? Are you supposed to just stand there and listen? I don’t have time for that, I have aliens/bandits/demons/enemy soldiers/whatever that need shooting.
You Can Now Read the Joker Screenplay Online
Joker, which dominated the box office this fall, becoming the first R-rated movie to gross over a billion dollars, has also earned multiple Golden Globe nominations - including Best Motion Picture and Best Performance By an Actor in a Drama for star Joaquin Phoenix.
For any Joker fans out there interested in reading the screenplay, written by director Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, you can check it out online here (h/t Deadline).
Galaxy Quest: How the Thermians Were Born
In the pantheon of alien-oriented sci-fi movies, a qualifier for true greatness is the caliber of the extraterrestrial. The more unique and strange they are, the more likely audiences will still be talking about them decades later.
Case in point: Galaxy Quest. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the beloved satire of low-fi, space-exploration television shows and their egocentric human casts works for many reasons, including a brilliant script and pitch-perfect performances. But one of Galaxy Quest’s secret weapons is its wholly original alien species: the Thermians.
Bi-pedal cephalopods in their true form, they spend the majority of the movie in human guise, trying to awkwardly pull off a natural human gait and speech patterns. As led by the sweetly naïve Mathesar (Enrico Colantoni), the Thermians laugh, smile and unabashedly “fan-boy” around the original cast of the historical document they know as Galaxy Quest.
Ryan Reynolds Confirms Deadpool 3 at Marvel Studios
Ryan Reynolds gave Deadpool fans an exciting stocking stuffer while appearing on Live With Kelly and Ryan, officially confirming that Deadpool 3 was currently being developed over at Marvel.
"Yeah we're working on it right now with the whole team," Reynolds said.
"We're over at Marvel
now, which is like the big leagues all of a sudden. It's kinda crazy. So yeah, we're working on it."
How Deadpool will fit into the MCU, and whether or not it will still be an R-rated affair, are still lingering questions of course, but a few months back co-writer Paul Wernick said Marvel had given them permission to continue making R-rated films for the Deadpool franchise.