Monthly Archives: August 2017
Game of Thrones: Will Sansa Side with Littlefinger Over her Family?
Warning: Spoilers for HBO's Game of Thrones up through the most recent episode, "The Spoils of War." Also, this piece contains speculation that may or may not manifest into spoilers.
In "The Spoils of War," Arya found her way back to Winterfell for the first time on the show since the series premiere back in 2011. She also reunited with siblings Sansa and Bran - again, a huge Stark family first that hadn't happened since Season 1.
But all three of these remaining Stark pups have endured torturous journeys - each taking a different form - that have transformed them into very different people. Not just from who they once were, but different from each other as well. Sansa rose up through physical abuse, rape and sexual torture under the tough love tutelage of Cersei and Littlefinger. Bran traveled far beyond the Wall, battled living nightmares, and discovered cold, emotionless "sight beyond sight" from the Three-Eyed Raven. Arya is the smirking, deadly collage of many surrogate parents - from Syrio Forel to Tywin Lannister to The Hound to "No One."
Spider-Man: Homecoming Becomes 4th Film of 2017 to Pass Domestic Box Office Milestone
Spider-Man: Homecoming has crossed another $100 million milestone at the domestic box office, but how does the film's local and worldwide cume stack up to other MCU and Spider-Man films?
Sony Pictures announced that, as of today, Homecoming has amassed an estimated $300 million at the U.S. box office and $682 million worldwide. Peter Parker's first solo film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe scored the highest-ever debut weekend for a superhero in the MCU, though it then suffered the largest second-weekend drop of Marvel Studios' universe.
How Does a VPN Work?
This article was last updated and expanded on August 11, 2017. 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.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) may have a somewhat seedy reputation, but there are plenty of legitimate reasons to consider using one. And besides, no one needs an excuse to keep their internet browsing history secret. We all have a right to privacy online.
But how does a VPN protect you anyway? And how specifically does a VPN work? It's not magic, it's cryptography. Let's go over the basics of how a VPN works before diving deeper.
Ticket to Ride Board Game: A Complete Purchasing Guide
It’s not unusual to walk into a board game store and be overwhelmed by the sheer number of Ticket to Ride products on shelf. Some are stand-alone, others expand on the base Ticket to Ride game, and they all have their own quirks. It’s hard to know where to begin or — if you already own and enjoy Ticket to Ride — what to try next.
But we're here to help! Below are our picks for which version of Ticket to Ride to buy, the best (and worst) Ticket to Ride expansions, along with a comprehensive guide of what to expect from every Ticket to Ride product.
Ticket to Ride - A Classic Still Worth Owning
T2 Star on Making the Then-Most Expensive Film Ever
Director James Cameron's classic sci-fi epic Terminator 2: Judgment Day is returning to theaters August 25th in an immersive 3D conversion overseen by Cameron himself. In anticipation of that release, I spoke with actor Joe Morton, who portrayed Skynet inventor Dr. Miles Dyson, about his memories of making T2, working with Cameron, and where the franchise went after Cameron parted ways with it. (Also be sure to check out what Morton also told me about playing Cyborg's dad in Justice League.)
Be mindful of SPOILERS ahead for Terminator 2: Judgment Day ...
Destiny 2: Console Testing Leads to PC Beta Changes
Bungie's weekly update is live and features some details on Destiny 2's upcoming PC beta, specifically what tweaks are being made to competitive play.
As detailed by Crucible Design Lead Lars Bikken, the developers have been keeping their eyes on player's activities in the console beta and have used what they've learned to further tailor the multiplayer experience — in particular, online matchmaking.
Going forward, Destiny 2, which was recently featured as part of IGN First, will feature two alternate modes of matchmaking, Quickplay and Competitive.
Netflix in Talks with Disney to Keep Marvel, Star Wars Films
While Disney and Pixar-branded films are being removed from Netflix, that may not be the case for Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm titles.
Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos told Reuters, "we are still in active discussions" with Disney to keep Marvel and Star Wars movies on the service beyond 2019, at which time Disney will launch its own branded streaming service that features various Disney and Pixar films.
Disney will debut its own branded streaming service for US consumers in 2019 and later expand the service worldwide. This new service's initial lineup will include Toy Story 4, Frozen 2 and the live-action adaptation of The Lion King. Sarandos believes Disney's new service will be "complementary" to Netflix.
Justice League: Batman’s Flying Fox Revealed
Typically a loner (particularly in his more recent cinematic excursions), Batman is breaking that habit for DC's upcoming Justice League and gathering together a group of Earth's most powerful metahumans (and hey, maybe a Kryptonian). But with a global threat on the horizon, how will the League be getting around?
We first heard of Batman's Flying Fox when we visited the set of JL last year. And now, thanks to EW, we have more info on the vehicle.
An Ode to Orphan Black’s Not-So-Secret Weapon: Tatiana Maslany
Orphan Black's premiere episode was a tense, intriguing hour of television that introduced what would turn out to be an incredibly thoughtful series that ruminated on ethics, morality, genetics, body autonomy, sisterhood, motherhood, and many more complex issues throughout its five-season run.
And though it was immediately clear that star Tatiana Maslany brought a magnetic presence to the series, what unfolded in the subsequent nine episodes of the first season—the five distinct personalities she brought to life as clones Sarah, Beth, Alison, Cosima, and Helena—was remarkable to watch.
Orphan Black was well-written and well-produced, but most of all, it was well cast. Would the show still have been cool and addicting without Maslany? Of course. It's a rad premise buoyed by top-tier talent in the non-clone roles, too—not to mention the absurdly well-shot multi-clone scenes that require intricate plotting and sophisticated technology to produce. But the way the Canadian actress (and now-Emmy winner) fully inhabited each of her many roles meant that watching the opening credits was a head-scratching exercise, owing to the very small number of actresses listed on a female-led show—you know, because Maslany played all of those characters herself.
PAX West 2017 Indie Megabooth Details Announced
The line-up for this year's PAX West Indie Megabooth features 83 games, from PC to tabletop, all being shown off in the 5,700 square-foot booth on the PAX West floor.
Among the games are Mossmouth's UFO 50, a "collection of 50 retro-flavored games," Dunk Lords, a basketball brawler by the lead programmer of Spelunky, and Papers, Please creator Lucas Pope's Return of the Obra Dinn.
The Indie Megabooth is also teaming up with the creators of the Exploding Kittens card game to bring a pop-up kitten cafe to PAX West. The "Non-Exploding Kittens Room" will serve as a fundraising and pet adoption center for the non-profit MEOW Cat Shelter.
Here is a complete list of all 83 games showing at the PAX West Indie Megabooth: