Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Adds Black Adam Sneak Peek to DC FanDome Teaser
It goes by super-quick, of course, but after the lightning bolt rips through the screen, there's a piece of (what looks to be) motion concept art for Black Adam. It shows Johnson, all in silhouette, standing in the ruins of a temple. "THEY NEEDED A HERO. INSTEAD THEY GOT ME," Johnson wrote in his tweet, in anticipation of what he called a celebration of the "DC Multiverse." Recently, it was announced that Noah Centineo had joined Johnson's Shazam spinoff as the DC hero, Atom Smasher. Never to be outdone, Ryan Reynolds unleashed what he called the "Reynolds Cut" of Green Lantern, which used some "judicious cuts" to pare the 2011 movie to 27 seconds (including a shot of the Justice League). [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-confirmed-for-dcs-the-suicide-squad&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.THEY NEEDED A HERO. INSTEAD THEY GOT ME Excited for the first-ever global celebration of the DC Multiverse - #DCFanDome! This one’s just for you - THE FANS AROUND THE WORLD! Stay healthy, my friends, and I’ll see you all on August 22nd! -The Man In Black#BlackAdam pic.twitter.com/m3S4tySYT8
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 7, 2020
Jason Bateman Stepping Behind the Camera for ‘Superworld’
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout Review – Jelly Bean Gladiators
Battle royales have only been around for a handful of years, and for the most part they've strictly stuck within the same genre of games. Whether you're playing Warzone, Fortnite, or Apex Legends, you're always shooting a gun and running from an encroaching circle, with the differences kicking up in the small variations to their established formulas. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, an extremely colorful and whimsical battle royale, is a great example of the genre growing outside of its roots. It's a far more approachable take on the multiplayer format, with simple controls and a variety of mini-games giving this competitive game show as much charm as they do tension.
Playing as one of 60 multi-colored, jelly bean-shaped contestants, you compete in a joyous and comical race to be crowned the winner of Fall Guys' 15-minute matches. Each one is broken up by various mini-games, with handfuls of players eliminated after each one. These games all take on a variety of themes, from straight-forward obstacle course races to frantic team games where you're hoarding as many eggs as you can into a basket. The mini-games make good use of Fall Guys' easy-to-understand control scheme, which lets you jump, dive, and grab with ease. Combined with the adorably clumsy movement animations, charming game show presentation, and suitably electric (and fantastic) soundtrack, Fall Guys will quickly catch your attention both visually and aurally.
The pickup and play nature of Fall Guys is one of its strongest aspects, along with its quick and entertaining games. It's never unclear when you need to jump over a gap or navigate through the hordes of contestants trying to reach the finish line before you. It's the type of game you can play in groups by passing the controller, with no need for a deep understanding of multiple mechanics to enjoy it. Its approachability lets anyone have fun with it, while its stages bring out glimmers of strategy for seasoned players to take advantage of.
Continue Reading at GameSpotFall Guys: Ultimate Knockout Review – Jelly Bean Gladiators
Battle royales have only been around for a handful of years, and for the most part they've strictly stuck within the same genre of games. Whether you're playing Warzone, Fortnite, or Apex Legends, you're always shooting a gun and running from an encroaching circle, with the differences kicking up in the small variations to their established formulas. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, an extremely colorful and whimsical battle royale, is a great example of the genre growing outside of its roots. It's a far more approachable take on the multiplayer format, with simple controls and a variety of mini-games giving this competitive game show as much charm as they do tension.
Playing as one of 60 multi-colored, jelly bean-shaped contestants, you compete in a joyous and comical race to be crowned the winner of Fall Guys' 15-minute matches. Each one is broken up by various mini-games, with handfuls of players eliminated after each one. These games all take on a variety of themes, from straight-forward obstacle course races to frantic team games where you're hoarding as many eggs as you can into a basket. The mini-games make good use of Fall Guys' easy-to-understand control scheme, which lets you jump, dive, and grab with ease. Combined with the adorably clumsy movement animations, charming game show presentation, and suitably electric (and fantastic) soundtrack, Fall Guys will quickly catch your attention both visually and aurally.
The pickup and play nature of Fall Guys is one of its strongest aspects, along with its quick and entertaining games. It's never unclear when you need to jump over a gap or navigate through the hordes of contestants trying to reach the finish line before you. It's the type of game you can play in groups by passing the controller, with no need for a deep understanding of multiple mechanics to enjoy it. Its approachability lets anyone have fun with it, while its stages bring out glimmers of strategy for seasoned players to take advantage of.
Continue Reading at GameSpotShang-Chi and The Mandarin Were Almost in Avengers Instead of Thanos
"The development team in Beijing felt Shang-Chi was the safer role to promote since he was a 'good guy' and a hero, while The Mandarin was clearly a nemesis to Iron Man. Strictly thinking about how the 'Ministry of Propaganda,' which reports directly to the Politburo, would view it, you always wanted the Chinese character to be a good guy or a hero, not a villain. Remember to them, China is good, and the West is bad. The Politburo wanted white-knight messaging. The country was spreading its wings globally, and it wanted to be viewed as a friend to the world, not an agitator or adversary encroaching on long-established borders through an Imperialistic strategy."
This kinder, gentler depiction of China and Chinese characters was a reaction to what Fenton characterizes as "American hubris, and often ignorance," in Hollywood's depiction of the country and its people as antagonists. "Hollywood didn't want to waste the part of a hero on a Chinese actor. But a villain role? No big deal," according to Fenton. "And simply putting Chinese people in a film was mistakenly thought of as the guaranteed price for admission to China's lucrative market. So, studios did it." Ultimately, there was no China-only post-credits scene created for The Avengers, with audiences everywhere seeing both the introduction of Thanos and the shawarma restaurant scene. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/05/21/iron-man-3-the-movie-that-never-was-ign-keepin-it-reel"] The Mandarin would later appear in Iron Man 3, but the character was turned into a ruse, with it being revealed -- SPOILERS -- that the terrorist was actually a frontman for the film's actual villain. "The Mandarin" turned out to actually be British stage actor Trevor Slattery (played by Sir Ben Kingsley). The "real" Mandarin was eventually revealed to exist in the Marvel One-Shot short titled All Hail the King, a move which director Shane Black deemed Marvel's apology for Iron Man 3's Mandarin twist. DMG Entertainment served as a production partner with Marvel on Iron Man 3, although their attempt to become an official co-production partner in China didn't pan out. Two versions of Iron Man 3 were produced, one for U.S. and international release and one version specifically tailored to China. The Chinese version featured four minutes of additional footage (not directed by Iron Man 3 helmer Shane Black) that did not go over well with Chinese audiences, with Chinese bloggers and critics calling out the jarring nature and shameless product placement of this localized additional footage. As reported back in 2013, the Chinese version of Iron Man 3 includes "scenes revolving around characters Dr. Wu (played by Wang Xueqi) and his unnamed assistant (played by Fan Bingbing), neither of whom apparently play a particularly necessary role in the movie. There was also the bizarre addition of two advertisements at the top of the film: one for a Yili milk drink that poses the question, 'What does Iron Man rely on to revitalize his energy?' -- Spoilers! It's Yili milk -- and another for a Chinese tractor and crane manufacturer." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/28/why-the-mandarin-could-be-shang-chis-father"] Both the real Mandarin and Shang-Chi make their official MCU debuts in 2021's Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Simu Liu plays the titular Master of Kung Fu, while Tony Leung portrays the Mandarin. In the end, Marvel Studios did find box office success in China. The Avengers was the No. 1 movie of 2012 in China, and nearly every subsequent MCU film has grossed well over $100 million at the Chinese box office since.Skully Review – Feet Of Clay
It's hard to make a platformer stand out in 2020. Skully, a 3D platformer about a reanimated rolling skull imbued with magic clay that can create and control mud golems, can't shake the baggage of its genre's history. Though it has some distinctive details--like a surprisingly cute, bouncing skull-ball for a protagonist--Skully's mild platforming, item collecting, and puzzle-solving often elicits the feeling that you're just going through the motions. While it isn't without charm or challenge, there isn't enough of it to make a profound impression.
Skully the bouncing skull-ball is actually an elemental avatar created by the earth deity of an isolated island. In his natural form, Skully is a small, quick ball that can roll and hop across forest streams, wind-swept mountains, and lava-filled caves. There's a satisfying kinetic feeling to rolling down a path and picking up speed, which makes gracefully jumping through platforming challenges feel good.
Skully isn't always rolling, though. He also has the power to use pools of mud to create humanoid golems that trade speed for additional abilities. Each of the three golem forms has two skills, most of which are used in very specific ways to get past obstacles Skully can't. For example, the big golem has a punch that can be used to break through walls and a steam attack that can temporarily dispel some enemies.
Continue Reading at GameSpotSkully Review – Feet Of Clay
It's hard to make a platformer stand out in 2020. Skully, a 3D platformer about a reanimated rolling skull imbued with magic clay that can create and control mud golems, can't shake the baggage of its genre's history. Though it has some distinctive details--like a surprisingly cute, bouncing skull-ball for a protagonist--Skully's mild platforming, item collecting, and puzzle-solving often elicits the feeling that you're just going through the motions. While it isn't without charm or challenge, there isn't enough of it to make a profound impression.
Skully the bouncing skull-ball is actually an elemental avatar created by the earth deity of an isolated island. In his natural form, Skully is a small, quick ball that can roll and hop across forest streams, wind-swept mountains, and lava-filled caves. There's a satisfying kinetic feeling to rolling down a path and picking up speed, which makes gracefully jumping through platforming challenges feel good.
Skully isn't always rolling, though. He also has the power to use pools of mud to create humanoid golems that trade speed for additional abilities. Each of the three golem forms has two skills, most of which are used in very specific ways to get past obstacles Skully can't. For example, the big golem has a punch that can be used to break through walls and a steam attack that can temporarily dispel some enemies.
Continue Reading at GameSpot