Monthly Archives: August 2017
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Announced
Samsung has officially revealed the Galaxy Note 8, the new flagship smartphone for the company that comes out September 15.
The Galaxy Note 8 features a 6.3-inch super AMOLED screen with 18.5:9 aspect ratio. Samsung says the smartphone has an Infinity Display, meaning it's near bezel-less. (Comparatively, the iPhone 7 has a 4.7-inch screen while the iPhone 7 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen.)
The phone's price currently varies by retailer, but T-Mobile currently has the phone priced at $930, AT&T is selling it for $950, and Version has the Note 8 listed for $960. Samsung will also offer a trade-in offer to Note 7 owners, who can trade in their phone for up to $425 via a special offer that will go live for Samsung when the Note 8 becomes available for preorder on August 24.
That Time I Got to Control The Tick’s Antennae
It’s hot outside. Like, hold that bottle of cold water to the back of your neck for all the good it will do you hot. But I’ve got no reason to complain compared to Peter Serafinowicz, Griffin Newman, and Jackie Earle Haley, the stars of the new Amazon series The Tick. Through the sweat, sweat and tears of it all, these three are wrapped in various levels of rubber, prosthetic make-up, and funny-looking helmets. In other words, they’re dressed up as superheroes (and villains).
I’m on the set of The Tick, which is shooting the final episode of its first season on this sweaty July day in Forest Park, Queens. The smoke machines are in full effect as the crew scurries to and fro, getting ready for a scene involving a crashed spaceship and a showdown between The Tick (Serafinowicz), his sidekick Arthur (Newman), and the depraved baddie The Terror (Haley). As the team sets up the shot -- which has overtaken this section of the New York City park and yet still somehow allows for a regular conduit of locals walking their dogs, riding their bikes, and generally enjoying the summer day amid the insanity of a wrecked ship, a statue of superheroes that includes a super-dog, and Haley practicing his lines, including yelling that Newman is a “cup of piss!” -- the actors’ stand-ins hold their spots in the camera frame. The faux-Tick simply sports a blue baseball cap with antennae, just in case anyone wasn’t clear on which one he’s supposed to be.
Only World-Class Pokemon Players Get This Rare Swag
The 2017 Pokemon World Championships have come and gone, and as is customary for the event, all players who qualified to play in the tournament were given a special bag packed with Pokemon goodies. Every item is unique and branded with the theme based on the location of the tournament, which this year was the palm trees and sunny skies of Anaheim, CA.
Take a look at everything inside the bag by clicking through the slideshow gallery below.
Which piece of Pokemon Worlds swag would you want for yourself? Let us know in the comments.
Be sure to check out our breakdown of what happened in the Pokemon video and card game finals matches.
Raiden and Hellboy Heading to Injustice 2
Hellboy, Raiden, and Black Manta are coming to Injustice 2 as part of the game's second Fighter Pack.
Fighter Pack 2 will be available for purchase starting September 12, at which point the first character from the bunch will be available for early access. Check out the trailer below for a sneak peek at the new trio of upcoming characters.
No word yet on when each of the characters will be released, but NetherRealm Studios will offer a first look at Black Manta gameplay this coming Sunday, August 27.
The three new fighters are included as part of the $100 USD Injustice 2 Ultimate Edition, which features a total of nine DLC characters, as well as three Premiere Skins and two exclusive Gear Shaders. If you purchased the standard edition of the game, you can still get all of the same content via the $40 USD Ultimate Pack.
Daredevil Actor Talks Full Spoilers on Defenders Twists
With Marvel’s street-level, superhero team-up The Defenders now out on Netflix, we’re filled with questions about everything that went down. Daredevil in particular had a meaty role and many of the eight-episode mini-series’ biggest twists were anchored around characters and plot points from his neck of the woods, so we hopped on the phone with actor Charlie Cox to get some explanations regarding the show's biggest twists.
Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Marvel’s The Defenders!
IGN: It was an emotional gut-punch for Matt to see Elektra back among the living after she died in his arms in Season 2 of Daredevil. It was clear that Matt still cared for her, but given that she’s this “Black Sky” and an unhinged weapon of the enemy who then becomes the leader of the Hand, was he really thinking he could still be with her? Or are they just doomed to always fight each other?
What Forces of Destiny Means for Star Wars
I recently has the opportunity to sit down with Jennifer Muro, the writer of the Star Wars: Forces of Destiny web series. We talked about how the show came to be and how it fits in the larger canonical framework of the Star Wars mythos, as well as the importance of having a show devoted to showcasing the many strong female characters from that galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: Forces of Destiny's Jennifer Muro.
Bad Boys 3 Unlikely Now, Claims Martin Lawrence
The long-gestating third Bad Boys film, Bad Boys for Life, might never get made.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bad Boys star Martin Lawrence revealed that, with the project getting constantly delayed, and with Will Smith's busy schedule, there's a strong chance the movie will get canceled entirely.
"I don't think we're going to get one, not the way everything's turning out," said Lawrence. "Will is off doing another movie, and I don't think it's going to happen."
Smith has been cast as the Genie in Disney's upcoming live-action Aladdin remake, making scheduling a challenge. Still, Lawrence has reiterated he's ready and fully up for making the film in the event the project eventually does moves forward.
Why Death of the Outsider is the End of Dishonored as We Know It
“People tend to think the outsider is god, and that the end of god is the end of everything”, says Kristof Carrier, Level Design Director on Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. “But the outsider is more like a god, and there was other gods before him and maybe there will be others after him, we don’t know.”
It’s not the end of the world, in other words. If Arkane wants to continue the Dishonored series it can. “There will always be a void in some way, and the end of the outsider is not the end of the void. It’s ending the existence of the void as it is.”
However, it is the end of this world. As I speak with Carrier and Lead Game Designer Dinga Bakaba at this year’s Gamescom, it becomes clear that Death of the Outsider will definitely shut the door on the era that began when Jessamine Kaldwin was slain by Daud in the original Dishonored.
5 Reasons The Crew 2 Could Be Paradise for Racing Fans
At Gamescom 2017 I got my first hands-on with The Crew 2, the upcoming sequel to Ubisoft’s open world racing game that’s bringing air and sea-based vehicles to its already impressive line-up of autos. The short demo consisted of some free roaming in and around Manhattan Island, as well as a first look at the motocross, drift, and grand prix race modes. While it was only a few select slices from what is clearly a multi-tiered tower of automotive cake, it was enough to get me excited for what developer Ivory Tower has in store. Here are five reasons The Crew 2 is shaping up to be a trip worth taking.
Why feature a vehicle roster that boasts a billionaire's shopping list of cars, motorbikes, boats and aeroplanes, if you have to drive to specific garage locations or thumb through pause menus in order to change vehicle? The Crew 2 allows you to switch between land, sea and air in an instant, with a mechanic that the developers have dubbed the ‘Fast Fav’ system.
Why Rocket League Might Be the Perfect Mainstream Esport
If you've ever seen children play soccer you can easily understand why the sport is known as the World Game. The barrier for entry to play football is nearly non-existent — many of the smallest children don't even kick the ball, instead simply colliding with it as they run around the pitch. It's the first experience with team sports that many people worldwide will have, and it sticks. At some level everyone understands soccer, because reduced to its simplest level soccer is just a series of collisions between legs and a big ball.
Rocket League taps into this elementary concept from its outset, and it's one of the keys to its massive success — even if it actually better resembles Ice Hockey.