Monthly Archives: October 2020
Marvel Unlimited Subscription Service to Add New Comics 3 Months Faster
There's good news for fans of the Marvel Unlimited digital comics subscription service. Effective immediately, Marvel will begin adding new comics to the service three months sooner than before.
Marvel Unlimited features a library of roughly 28,000 digital comics accessible for a flat monthly fee. Traditionally, new comics are added to that library six months after their original publish date. But going forward, Marvel will start adding new comics after only three months. For example, the October 19 batch of comics includes recent releases like Empyre #1 and Giant-Size X-Men: Magneto #1
“Since the beginning of the year, we’ve seen our stories read tens of millions of times on Marvel Unlimited, and we’ve seen a rising number of fans now looking to dive into more of their favorite stories featuring Spider-Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, the X-Men, and more,” said Jessica Malloy, VP of Marketing, Marvel New Media in a statement. “This expansion for Marvel Unlimited delivers exactly that: fans can now read more of their favorite comics sooner! No other service can provide this kind of value and access to so many Marvel comics in one place. We’re thrilled to now be able to offer even more to readers.”
This shakeup comes at an ideal time for subscribers. Because Marvel's primary distributor Diamond Comics temporarily halted new deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Unlimited subscribers seemed about to face several months with no new books being added to the library. Adjusting the schedule allows Marvel to skip right over that new release dead zone and continue weekly content updates. But to be clear, IGN confirmed with Marvel that the three-month release schedule is a permanent change going forward, not a temporary response to that gap in publishing.
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This move may also be intended to help Marvel Unlimited remain competitive with the DC Universe app. DC Universe is currently priced at $7.99 a month versus Marvel Unlimited's $9.99 price tag, but DC currently still follows a six-month release window for its comic library. Recently we learned all of DC Universe's original series will be migrating to HBO Max, and DC will relaunch the subscription service as the comic-focused DC Universe Infinite in January 2021. It remains to be seen if DC will follow Marvel's example and accelerate its digital comics timetable.
Comic readers have a third option for a digital comics subscription service in the form of ComiXology Unlimited. Check out IGN's ComiXology Unlimited review to see how that service compares to Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/14/dc-universe-review-is-the-subscription-service-worth-the-price"]
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
“Since the beginning of the year, we’ve seen our stories read tens of millions of times on Marvel Unlimited, and we’ve seen a rising number of fans now looking to dive into more of their favorite stories featuring Spider-Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, the X-Men, and more,” said Jessica Malloy, VP of Marketing, Marvel New Media in a statement. “This expansion for Marvel Unlimited delivers exactly that: fans can now read more of their favorite comics sooner! No other service can provide this kind of value and access to so many Marvel comics in one place. We’re thrilled to now be able to offer even more to readers.”
This shakeup comes at an ideal time for subscribers. Because Marvel's primary distributor Diamond Comics temporarily halted new deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Unlimited subscribers seemed about to face several months with no new books being added to the library. Adjusting the schedule allows Marvel to skip right over that new release dead zone and continue weekly content updates. But to be clear, IGN confirmed with Marvel that the three-month release schedule is a permanent change going forward, not a temporary response to that gap in publishing.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-comics-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"]
This move may also be intended to help Marvel Unlimited remain competitive with the DC Universe app. DC Universe is currently priced at $7.99 a month versus Marvel Unlimited's $9.99 price tag, but DC currently still follows a six-month release window for its comic library. Recently we learned all of DC Universe's original series will be migrating to HBO Max, and DC will relaunch the subscription service as the comic-focused DC Universe Infinite in January 2021. It remains to be seen if DC will follow Marvel's example and accelerate its digital comics timetable.
Comic readers have a third option for a digital comics subscription service in the form of ComiXology Unlimited. Check out IGN's ComiXology Unlimited review to see how that service compares to Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/14/dc-universe-review-is-the-subscription-service-worth-the-price"]
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Who Is Kindred? Spider-Man’s Newest Nemesis Revealed
While Peter Parker has dealt with a number of new challenges since Marvel relaunched The Amazing Spider-Man in 2018 - from the return of Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter to a long-distance relationship with Mary Jane - one villain has been at the heart of the series from the beginning. The mysterious Kindred has spent months plotting against Spider-Man, and now we finally know the identity of this twisted villain.
Keep reading to learn Kindred's true identity and why they hate Peter Parker so much, but beware of full spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #50 ahead!
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-25-best-spider-man-comics&captions=true"]
Kindred has been one of the main, consistent focal points of the series over the past two years. From the beginning, it's been clear Kindred is someone with both a close connection to and a deep-seated grudge against Peter Parker. He's also seemingly a character with the power to raise the dead, travel between the living realm and the afterlife and command an army of undead insects. But who is Kindred really, and is he truly a master of death or merely a clever con artist?
With The Amazing Spider-Man #50 kicking off the "Last Remains" story arc, we finally have an answer to the first question. Kindred is none other than Peter Parker's best friend and occasional enemy Harry Osborn.
[caption id="attachment_242590" align="aligncenter" width="865"]
Art by Patrick Gleason. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption]
As longtime ASM readers will know, this isn't the first time Harry has plotted Peter's destruction. Harry inherited his father Norman's mantle as Green Goblin way back in 1974's The Amazing Spider-Man #136. That kickstarted a recurring pattern of Harry plotting to kill Spider-Man in revenge for Norman's death, only to be stricken with amnesia and return to his normal life. Harry ultimately died in 1993's The Spectacular Spider-Man #200 after consuming a lethal variant of the Oz serum.
The Peter/Harry dynamic was further complicated when Harry returned in 2008's The Amazing Spider-Man #545 (one of several major changes to Spider-Man's world caused by the infamous One More Day storyline). Harry's return was explained with the reveal that Norman had staged his son's death (with a little help from Mysterio) and sent him to a long-term drug rehab facility in Europe. Since his return, Harry has mostly been an ally to Peter, choosing to focus more on raising his son Normie than reviving old grudges.
However, it would seem Harry hasn't forgotten the past or forgiven his BFF for all the losses the Osborn family has suffered. In fact, writer Nick Spencer hints this plot twist builds directly on Harry's 2008 resurrection and the fact that his rivalry with Peter was buried and forgotten far too easily.
"When Kindred first appeared back in the very first issue of our run, with very few hints given, people were already guessing it was Harry," Spencer told CBR. "And that tells you everything you need to know about why it had to be him, funny enough. There is something about that wound that did not quite heal right. And as a writer, that’s the kind of thing I find myself drawn to."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/19/these-miles-morales-comics-could-inspire-his-ps5-spider-man-game"]
Spencer continued, "I’ve said before, but Amazing Spider-Man is the only comic I’ve read throughout basically my entire life without pause. So it’s the one where I have the best aerial view, and what really struck me is how, for a book that is driven so much by a moral lesson about responsibility, there are so many things that have been sort of swept under the rug, never to be mentioned again. There was something fascinatingly meta about that conflict, and the longer I looked at that, the more drawn to it I became. To my eyes, Peter Parker was in need of a fearless personal inventory. And Kindred is very much the personification of that."
As for Harry's ultimate goal and whether his powers over life and death are what they seem, we'll surely learn more as "Last Remains" plays out over the next several months.
In other recent comic book news, we just got our first look at DC's Future State event and learned how Star Wars: Darth Vader is connected to the events of The Rise of Skywalker and whether Rorschach is a sequel to Doomsday Clock or HBO's Watchmen.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Art by Patrick Gleason. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption]
As longtime ASM readers will know, this isn't the first time Harry has plotted Peter's destruction. Harry inherited his father Norman's mantle as Green Goblin way back in 1974's The Amazing Spider-Man #136. That kickstarted a recurring pattern of Harry plotting to kill Spider-Man in revenge for Norman's death, only to be stricken with amnesia and return to his normal life. Harry ultimately died in 1993's The Spectacular Spider-Man #200 after consuming a lethal variant of the Oz serum.
The Peter/Harry dynamic was further complicated when Harry returned in 2008's The Amazing Spider-Man #545 (one of several major changes to Spider-Man's world caused by the infamous One More Day storyline). Harry's return was explained with the reveal that Norman had staged his son's death (with a little help from Mysterio) and sent him to a long-term drug rehab facility in Europe. Since his return, Harry has mostly been an ally to Peter, choosing to focus more on raising his son Normie than reviving old grudges.
However, it would seem Harry hasn't forgotten the past or forgiven his BFF for all the losses the Osborn family has suffered. In fact, writer Nick Spencer hints this plot twist builds directly on Harry's 2008 resurrection and the fact that his rivalry with Peter was buried and forgotten far too easily.
"When Kindred first appeared back in the very first issue of our run, with very few hints given, people were already guessing it was Harry," Spencer told CBR. "And that tells you everything you need to know about why it had to be him, funny enough. There is something about that wound that did not quite heal right. And as a writer, that’s the kind of thing I find myself drawn to."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/19/these-miles-morales-comics-could-inspire-his-ps5-spider-man-game"]
Spencer continued, "I’ve said before, but Amazing Spider-Man is the only comic I’ve read throughout basically my entire life without pause. So it’s the one where I have the best aerial view, and what really struck me is how, for a book that is driven so much by a moral lesson about responsibility, there are so many things that have been sort of swept under the rug, never to be mentioned again. There was something fascinatingly meta about that conflict, and the longer I looked at that, the more drawn to it I became. To my eyes, Peter Parker was in need of a fearless personal inventory. And Kindred is very much the personification of that."
As for Harry's ultimate goal and whether his powers over life and death are what they seem, we'll surely learn more as "Last Remains" plays out over the next several months.
In other recent comic book news, we just got our first look at DC's Future State event and learned how Star Wars: Darth Vader is connected to the events of The Rise of Skywalker and whether Rorschach is a sequel to Doomsday Clock or HBO's Watchmen.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Who Is Kindred? Spider-Man’s Newest Nemesis Revealed
While Peter Parker has dealt with a number of new challenges since Marvel relaunched The Amazing Spider-Man in 2018 - from the return of Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter to a long-distance relationship with Mary Jane - one villain has been at the heart of the series from the beginning. The mysterious Kindred has spent months plotting against Spider-Man, and now we finally know the identity of this twisted villain.
Keep reading to learn Kindred's true identity and why they hate Peter Parker so much, but beware of full spoilers for The Amazing Spider-Man #50 ahead!
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-25-best-spider-man-comics&captions=true"]
Kindred has been one of the main, consistent focal points of the series over the past two years. From the beginning, it's been clear Kindred is someone with both a close connection to and a deep-seated grudge against Peter Parker. He's also seemingly a character with the power to raise the dead, travel between the living realm and the afterlife and command an army of undead insects. But who is Kindred really, and is he truly a master of death or merely a clever con artist?
With The Amazing Spider-Man #50 kicking off the "Last Remains" story arc, we finally have an answer to the first question. Kindred is none other than Peter Parker's best friend and occasional enemy Harry Osborn.
[caption id="attachment_242590" align="aligncenter" width="865"] Art by Patrick Gleason. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption]
As longtime ASM readers will know, this isn't the first time Harry has plotted Peter's destruction. Harry inherited his father Norman's mantle as Green Goblin way back in 1974's The Amazing Spider-Man #136. That kickstarted a recurring pattern of Harry plotting to kill Spider-Man in revenge for Norman's death, only to be stricken with amnesia and return to his normal life. Harry ultimately died in 1993's The Spectacular Spider-Man #200 after consuming a lethal variant of the Oz serum.
The Peter/Harry dynamic was further complicated when Harry returned in 2008's The Amazing Spider-Man #545 (one of several major changes to Spider-Man's world caused by the infamous One More Day storyline). Harry's return was explained with the reveal that Norman had staged his son's death (with a little help from Mysterio) and sent him to a long-term drug rehab facility in Europe. Since his return, Harry has mostly been an ally to Peter, choosing to focus more on raising his son Normie than reviving old grudges.
However, it would seem Harry hasn't forgotten the past or forgiven his BFF for all the losses the Osborn family has suffered. In fact, writer Nick Spencer hints this plot twist builds directly on Harry's 2008 resurrection and the fact that his rivalry with Peter was buried and forgotten far too easily.
"When Kindred first appeared back in the very first issue of our run, with very few hints given, people were already guessing it was Harry," Spencer told CBR. "And that tells you everything you need to know about why it had to be him, funny enough. There is something about that wound that did not quite heal right. And as a writer, that’s the kind of thing I find myself drawn to."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/19/these-miles-morales-comics-could-inspire-his-ps5-spider-man-game"]
Spencer continued, "I’ve said before, but Amazing Spider-Man is the only comic I’ve read throughout basically my entire life without pause. So it’s the one where I have the best aerial view, and what really struck me is how, for a book that is driven so much by a moral lesson about responsibility, there are so many things that have been sort of swept under the rug, never to be mentioned again. There was something fascinatingly meta about that conflict, and the longer I looked at that, the more drawn to it I became. To my eyes, Peter Parker was in need of a fearless personal inventory. And Kindred is very much the personification of that."
As for Harry's ultimate goal and whether his powers over life and death are what they seem, we'll surely learn more as "Last Remains" plays out over the next several months.
In other recent comic book news, we just got our first look at DC's Future State event and learned how Star Wars: Darth Vader is connected to the events of The Rise of Skywalker and whether Rorschach is a sequel to Doomsday Clock or HBO's Watchmen.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Art by Patrick Gleason. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption]
As longtime ASM readers will know, this isn't the first time Harry has plotted Peter's destruction. Harry inherited his father Norman's mantle as Green Goblin way back in 1974's The Amazing Spider-Man #136. That kickstarted a recurring pattern of Harry plotting to kill Spider-Man in revenge for Norman's death, only to be stricken with amnesia and return to his normal life. Harry ultimately died in 1993's The Spectacular Spider-Man #200 after consuming a lethal variant of the Oz serum.
The Peter/Harry dynamic was further complicated when Harry returned in 2008's The Amazing Spider-Man #545 (one of several major changes to Spider-Man's world caused by the infamous One More Day storyline). Harry's return was explained with the reveal that Norman had staged his son's death (with a little help from Mysterio) and sent him to a long-term drug rehab facility in Europe. Since his return, Harry has mostly been an ally to Peter, choosing to focus more on raising his son Normie than reviving old grudges.
However, it would seem Harry hasn't forgotten the past or forgiven his BFF for all the losses the Osborn family has suffered. In fact, writer Nick Spencer hints this plot twist builds directly on Harry's 2008 resurrection and the fact that his rivalry with Peter was buried and forgotten far too easily.
"When Kindred first appeared back in the very first issue of our run, with very few hints given, people were already guessing it was Harry," Spencer told CBR. "And that tells you everything you need to know about why it had to be him, funny enough. There is something about that wound that did not quite heal right. And as a writer, that’s the kind of thing I find myself drawn to."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/19/these-miles-morales-comics-could-inspire-his-ps5-spider-man-game"]
Spencer continued, "I’ve said before, but Amazing Spider-Man is the only comic I’ve read throughout basically my entire life without pause. So it’s the one where I have the best aerial view, and what really struck me is how, for a book that is driven so much by a moral lesson about responsibility, there are so many things that have been sort of swept under the rug, never to be mentioned again. There was something fascinatingly meta about that conflict, and the longer I looked at that, the more drawn to it I became. To my eyes, Peter Parker was in need of a fearless personal inventory. And Kindred is very much the personification of that."
As for Harry's ultimate goal and whether his powers over life and death are what they seem, we'll surely learn more as "Last Remains" plays out over the next several months.
In other recent comic book news, we just got our first look at DC's Future State event and learned how Star Wars: Darth Vader is connected to the events of The Rise of Skywalker and whether Rorschach is a sequel to Doomsday Clock or HBO's Watchmen.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Nokia Is Going to Build a 4G Network on the Moon
NASA has awarded Nokia Bell Labs $14.1 million to bring a 4G/LTE cellular network to the moon.
NASA has given Nokia and over a dozen other companies a portion of $370 million as part of its 2020 NASA Tipping Point competition, as originally reported by Mashable. This is the fifth Tipping Point competition and one of the highlights of this latest edition was the $14.1 million awarded to Nokia so that the cellphone company can build a 4G cellular network on the moon.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/14/signs-of-alien-life-found-on-venus-ign-now"]
"Inspired by terrestrial technology, Nokia proposes to deploy the first LTE/4G communications system in space," a blog post about this year's Tipping Point reads. "The system could support lunar surface communications at greater distances, increased speeds, and provide more reliability than current standards."
This means your astronaut partner can no longer use being on the moon as an excuse to leave you on read. Typical astronauts. Beyond that, this cellular network will be constructed in such a way that an eventual transition to 5G — which we're only just now seeing become more widely available here on Earth — can happen. This 4G/LTE network will allow for a more sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
"Working with our partners at (Intuitive Machines), this groundbreaking network will be the critical communications fabric for data transmission applications, including the control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation over lunar geography, and streaming of high definition video," a Nokia Bell Labs tweet about the $14.1 million award reads. "The mission critical LTE network we have developed has been specially designed to withstand the extreme temperature, radiation and vacuum conditions of space, as well as the sizable vibrational impact during launch and landing on the lunar surface."
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There isn't a projected launch date for this lunar 4G network at the moment, but NASA does have plans for additional lunar exploration starting in 2024 as it looks towards a more Mars-focused future, and it's easy to see how helpful a 4G network would be for that.
If you're looking for more science, check out this story about how the Earth might be the reason why the Moon is rusting and then read about the possible signs of life detected on Venus.
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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.
Nokia Is Going to Build a 4G Network on the Moon
NASA has awarded Nokia Bell Labs $14.1 million to bring a 4G/LTE cellular network to the moon.
NASA has given Nokia and over a dozen other companies a portion of $370 million as part of its 2020 NASA Tipping Point competition, as originally reported by Mashable. This is the fifth Tipping Point competition and one of the highlights of this latest edition was the $14.1 million awarded to Nokia so that the cellphone company can build a 4G cellular network on the moon.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/14/signs-of-alien-life-found-on-venus-ign-now"]
"Inspired by terrestrial technology, Nokia proposes to deploy the first LTE/4G communications system in space," a blog post about this year's Tipping Point reads. "The system could support lunar surface communications at greater distances, increased speeds, and provide more reliability than current standards."
This means your astronaut partner can no longer use being on the moon as an excuse to leave you on read. Typical astronauts. Beyond that, this cellular network will be constructed in such a way that an eventual transition to 5G — which we're only just now seeing become more widely available here on Earth — can happen. This 4G/LTE network will allow for a more sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
"Working with our partners at (Intuitive Machines), this groundbreaking network will be the critical communications fabric for data transmission applications, including the control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation over lunar geography, and streaming of high definition video," a Nokia Bell Labs tweet about the $14.1 million award reads. "The mission critical LTE network we have developed has been specially designed to withstand the extreme temperature, radiation and vacuum conditions of space, as well as the sizable vibrational impact during launch and landing on the lunar surface."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"]
There isn't a projected launch date for this lunar 4G network at the moment, but NASA does have plans for additional lunar exploration starting in 2024 as it looks towards a more Mars-focused future, and it's easy to see how helpful a 4G network would be for that.
If you're looking for more science, check out this story about how the Earth might be the reason why the Moon is rusting and then read about the possible signs of life detected on Venus.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.
Watch Dogs Legion: Aiden Pearce Playable in Main Campaign, and Customisable
Original Watch Dogs protagonist Aiden Pearce will be available throughout the main campaign of Watch Dogs: Legion as a fully customisable character, with the single player story adapted to fit his personality.
Speaking in a Reddit AMA, the game's live producer Lathieeshe Thillainathan answered a number of questions about the returning character, who'll be added as post-launch DLC. Thillainathan made clear that, "Aiden can replay the full game and will have a dedicated DLC with Wrench. You don't need to finish the DLC to play as Aiden in the single player story."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/10/watch-dogs-legion-aiden-pearce-teaser-trailer"]
Asked how Aiden will slot into the main campaign given that he's a set character - unlike Legion's NPC-recruited protagonists - Thillainathan explained that he'll be treated like any other character, but will have his personality and character written into the main campaign's cutscenes:
"Aiden will be treated as another member of the team. We are writing the full single player story again with [Aiden's] personality. When you replay the main missions again, Aiden will be integrated into all the original cinematics."
Aiden will be added alongside three other playable characters - Wrench from Watch Dogs 2, Darcy, an Assassin, and Mina, a victim of transhuman experiements who has psychic powers. It's not clear if the other three will be playable in the main campaign, but Thillainathan confirmed that all of them will be playable both in single player and online modes.
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He also responded to a question about customisation, saying that all four new characters can be altered to the players' taste: "Once they are on your team, you can customize them as you wish. can't wait to see everyone's version of Aiden and Wrench."
Watch Dogs: Legion will be released for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 29, and will be a launch title for Xbox Series X and S on November 10. It will arrive on PS5 digitally on November 12, and physically on November 24. Buying the current-gen versions will allow for a free upgrade to the next-gen equivalent.
We recently played a near-final version of the game, saying it had a "potentially staggering amount of rabbit holes to tumble down as you take a very hands-on approach to recruiting new comrades for the uprising." We also poijnted out that the Census System powering its Play-As-Anyone mechanic feels next-gen on its own.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
China Topples North America as World’s Biggest Film Box Office Market
China has officially overtaken North America in film ticket sales this year, making it the world's biggest film box office market.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, new data from the Artisan Gateway reveals that China recorded a total of $1.988 billion in its year-to-date box office sales figures on October 18, exceeding North America's total of $1.937 billion. In the report, it is also noted that analysts expect this gap to widen "considerably" by the end of the year.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/13/how-coronavirus-delays-are-impacting-2020-movies-ign-now"]
Traditionally, North America has dominated box office sales around the world, however, this year's coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic appears to have accelerated a shift towards China becoming the global leader after the country reopened tens of thousands of theaters and started to book up seats again, with 75% of usual seating capacity available.
China's ticket sales were further boosted by the country's weeklong national holiday recently, which saw the anthology film My People, My Homeland earning a further $19.1 million at the box office, raising the film's overall earnings to $360 million, while WWII epic The Eight Hundred surpassed Bad Boys for Life as the highest-grossing film of 2020 at the global box office, having taken in $460 million so far.
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Meanwhile, America's largest cinema chain, AMC Theaters, had its credit rating downgraded in April to reflect an "imminent" risk of defaulting after the company closed 634 locations across the US and Canada and 120 venues in the UK and Ireland (operated under Odeon) on March 17 to help to slow the spread of the virus.
With theaters in many major markets still closed for business, several studios have opted to postpone their biggest tentpole releases. Universal Pictures pushed back the release of Fast 9 to May 28, 2021, which is Memorial Day weekend in the United States, while No Time to Die, James Bond's latest film, moved to April 2, 2021 after "a thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace."
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Amnesia: Rebirth Review
Back in 2010, developer Frictional Games set the tone for PC indie horror games with Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Focused heavily on story, it created its scares through an intensity of atmosphere and an emphasis on powerlessness. With Amnesia: Rebirth, it feels like Frictional has fully refined its particular approach to horror. You're trapped in a deadly, smothering world, struggling against your character's limitations and even her perceptions. Rebirth is Frictional's best game yet, marrying a deep, mysterious story to the signature mechanics the developer has been refining over the course of 13 years of horror games.
Amnesia: Rebirth continues Frictional's specific approach to story and horror, which emphasizes avoiding conflict, hiding, and mastering your character's own fear. It also adds to the story told in The Dark Descent, although you don't need to know that game well to follow this narrative of this one. (The narrative doesn't link to Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, the 2013 follow-up to The Dark Descent.) You play Tasi Trianon, a French woman who joins a mining expedition to Algeria in 1937. In the opening moments of the game, the expedition's plane experiences some supernatural shenanigans that cause it to crash in the desert. Tasi wakes up soon after, alone in the plane, with few memories of what has happened and strange black tendrils creeping into her vision. As she goes searching for survivors, she discovers that the strange bracelet she wakes up wearing can open portals to a dark, ruined parallel world. Tasi goes searching through caves and tunnels for her friends, and the story often pulls her into the alternate dimension as she tries to find her way forward.
Rebirth brings back the main mechanics from The Dark Descent, and really, all of Frictional's games deal in similar sets of ideas. You trace the survivors' path, gathering notes and uncovering clues as to what happened. As you explore the caves, you're quickly plunged into darkness, and as in The Dark Descent, the dark increases Tasi's fear and has palpable effects on her psyche. You're not dealing with a loss of sanity that changes how you perceive the world like in that game, however. Instead, Tasi's increasing fear causes the black tendrils to reappear and her heart to start pounding, and if she gets too afraid, the blackness overtakes her entirely, causing her to lose herself and wake up somewhere else with no memory of how she got there.
Continue Reading at GameSpotAmnesia: Rebirth Review
Back in 2010, developer Frictional Games set the tone for PC indie horror games with Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Focused heavily on story, it created its scares through an intensity of atmosphere and an emphasis on powerlessness. With Amnesia: Rebirth, it feels like Frictional has fully refined its particular approach to horror. You're trapped in a deadly, smothering world, struggling against your character's limitations and even her perceptions. Rebirth is Frictional's best game yet, marrying a deep, mysterious story to the signature mechanics the developer has been refining over the course of 13 years of horror games.
Amnesia: Rebirth continues Frictional's specific approach to story and horror, which emphasizes avoiding conflict, hiding, and mastering your character's own fear. It also adds to the story told in The Dark Descent, although you don't need to know that game well to follow this narrative of this one. (The narrative doesn't link to Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, the 2013 follow-up to The Dark Descent.) You play Tasi Trianon, a French woman who joins a mining expedition to Algeria in 1937. In the opening moments of the game, the expedition's plane experiences some supernatural shenanigans that cause it to crash in the desert. Tasi wakes up soon after, alone in the plane, with few memories of what has happened and strange black tendrils creeping into her vision. As she goes searching for survivors, she discovers that the strange bracelet she wakes up wearing can open portals to a dark, ruined parallel world. Tasi goes searching through caves and tunnels for her friends, and the story often pulls her into the alternate dimension as she tries to find her way forward.
Rebirth brings back the main mechanics from The Dark Descent, and really, all of Frictional's games deal in similar sets of ideas. You trace the survivors' path, gathering notes and uncovering clues as to what happened. As you explore the caves, you're quickly plunged into darkness, and as in The Dark Descent, the dark increases Tasi's fear and has palpable effects on her psyche. You're not dealing with a loss of sanity that changes how you perceive the world like in that game, however. Instead, Tasi's increasing fear causes the black tendrils to reappear and her heart to start pounding, and if she gets too afraid, the blackness overtakes her entirely, causing her to lose herself and wake up somewhere else with no memory of how she got there.
Continue Reading at GameSpotPlayStation ‘Looking Into’ Negative Feedback on PS4 Party Changes
Sony has revealed that it is "looking into" negative feedback surrounding the changes to the PS4 party system that arrived as part of the 8.00 system update.
The 8.00 update was pushed to consoles worldwide last week and changed the way parties work, combining the Party and Messages features into one system. This has complicated the invitation process for some, and led fans to voice their concerns online. Players now need to open a message group in order to invite other players to create a party, and many players who used to use the private party system to avoid in-game chat now have more limited options.
In light of the outcry, Sony has announced on Twitter that it is looking into the negative feedback received about the party chat changes. The tweet mentions that it will keep players posted, which suggests that changes or clarifications may be on the way.
For all of the details on the 8.00 update, check out this article which runs through all of the major features introduced in the latest patch, including free avatars from PS4 exclusive games. Sony recently clarified its position on another controversial facet of the 8.00 update, which allows players to record voice chat clips and send them to moderators to report online abuse and harassment. In a statement from SIE's VP of Global Consumer Experience Catherine Jensen, Sony clarified that the feature "will not actively monitor or listen in on your conversations."Hey folks - just wanted to let you know that we’re looking into your feedback on the recent changes to Parties on PS4.
Thanks for speaking up - we’ll keep you posted — PlayStation (@PlayStation) October 17, 2020
It seems that these changes will only affect PS4, as a breakdown of the PlayStation 5 UI showed a more streamlined chat system than the current -gen console offers. We called the smoother friend interactions one of the five biggest gamechangers in the PS5 UI.
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[poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.