Call Of Duty Warzone Review – Cash Rules Everything Around Me
The latest Call of Duty from Infinity Ward shipped without an answer to Black Ops 4’s Blackout, but it has since been supplemented by Warzone--a completely standalone battle royale built off of the backbone of Modern Warfare. Not only is it a smarter way to ensure it's not tied to each annual release in the series, but Warzone gives the series its own identity within the competitive genre.
It might not be apparent at first, though, especially when you take into consideration how much Warzone borrows from other popular battle royale games. It incorporates a ping system similar to the one in Apex Legends, letting you tag enemy positions, points of interest, and loot for teammates at the press of a button (albeit mapped to a button that's harder to reach quickly, mitigating some of its convenience). It plays out on a massive map akin to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, where large swathes of open land are ripe for snipers while dense suburbs make for exhilarating and chaotic close-quarters skirmishes. And like the ones in Fortnite, color-coded chests overflowing with loot are easy to hunt down when you are within earshot of their signature emanating jingle.
None of these competitors are defined solely by the elements Warzone borrows from them, and Warzone isn't defined by the sum of their parts. Instead, Warzone uses them to establish a solid foundation for its own distinct elements. It starts with a larger player count than the aforementioned battle royale games, with Warzone currently supporting up to 150 players per match, with modes for three-person squads or solo play. Having so many players active at once keeps you constantly on alert, but also increases the odds that you'll at least have some action (and likely a handful of kills) each match. This makes even some of the least successful drops feel worthwhile--even if your entire match lasts only a handful of minutes, you'll likely get some valuable time in with some weapons, better preparing you for another fight in the next match.
Continue Reading at GameSpotJustice League Mortal Designer Reveals Armie Hammer’s Batman Cowl
Here's a color-corrected image that gives a slightly better idea of how the finished product would have looked:
This art suggests Hammer's Batsuit would have been more heavily comic-inspired than that of fellow Batman actor Christian Bale. Whether Hammer would have been able to turn his head in this costume is another matter entirely.
In fact, the long ears, sculpted browlines and generally sleek quality of the mask hearken very closely to the painted art of Alex Ross:
This isn't the first time Unicomb has given fans a glimpse of this canceled Justice League movie. In 2019 he posted another piece of concept art showing a very different take on Hammer's Batsuit. While retaining the classic gray, black and yellow color scheme of the comics, the execution was much different in this case.
Unicomb wrote, "The costume was a mixture of Kevlar and chain mail with a kind-of robotic exo-skeleton under his arms, legs and back designed to help Bruce fight crime even when his body was in its most broken state. Reflective paint over the eyes and chest would catch any available light, heightening his intimidating figure in the darkness. Thick padding around the neck would make sure no blows to the neck or throat would incapacitate him during battle. This was a concept that never went [past] this initial 'discovery stage' during development."
This abandoned suit sounds like it was inspired more by Ross' design in 1996's Kingdom Come, which featured an older Bruce Wayne wearing an exoskeleton to support a body battered by years of fighting crime. That comic also inspired the look of Kevin Conroy's live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse's recent Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.
For those who don't remember, Justice League Mortal would have been directed by George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) and was set to star Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name) as Batman, D.J. Cotrona (From Dusk Till Dawn series) as Superman, Adam Brody (The O.C.) as The Flash, Santiago Cabrera (Transformers: The Last Knight) as Aquaman, Megan Gale (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Wonder Woman, Hugh Keays-Byrne (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Martian Manhunter and Common (Suicide Squad) as Green Lantern. Fans got a small glimpse of the entire Justice League Mortal cast in 2018, when Collider acquired a very low-res costume test photo featuring all seven League members.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=actors-who-almost-played-batman&captions=true"]
As this concept art shows, Mortal was well into preproduction before being canceled by Warner Brothers, one of many casualties of the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike. The film was even set to feature an epic brawl between Superman and Wonder Woman. Unicomb himself is attached to direct a documentary chronicling the canceled DC film, but the current status of that project is unknown.
What do you think of this new glimpse of Armie Hammer's Batman? Let us know in the comments below.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/designing-the-perfect-batsuit"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Justice League Mortal Designer Reveals Armie Hammer’s Batman Cowl
Here's a color-corrected image that gives a slightly better idea of how the finished product would have looked:
This art suggests Hammer's Batsuit would have been more heavily comic-inspired than that of fellow Batman actor Christian Bale. Whether Hammer would have been able to turn his head in this costume is another matter entirely.
In fact, the long ears, sculpted browlines and generally sleek quality of the mask hearken very closely to the painted art of Alex Ross:
This isn't the first time Unicomb has given fans a glimpse of this canceled Justice League movie. In 2019 he posted another piece of concept art showing a very different take on Hammer's Batsuit. While retaining the classic gray, black and yellow color scheme of the comics, the execution was much different in this case.
Unicomb wrote, "The costume was a mixture of Kevlar and chain mail with a kind-of robotic exo-skeleton under his arms, legs and back designed to help Bruce fight crime even when his body was in its most broken state. Reflective paint over the eyes and chest would catch any available light, heightening his intimidating figure in the darkness. Thick padding around the neck would make sure no blows to the neck or throat would incapacitate him during battle. This was a concept that never went [past] this initial 'discovery stage' during development."
This abandoned suit sounds like it was inspired more by Ross' design in 1996's Kingdom Come, which featured an older Bruce Wayne wearing an exoskeleton to support a body battered by years of fighting crime. That comic also inspired the look of Kevin Conroy's live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse's recent Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.
For those who don't remember, Justice League Mortal would have been directed by George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) and was set to star Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name) as Batman, D.J. Cotrona (From Dusk Till Dawn series) as Superman, Adam Brody (The O.C.) as The Flash, Santiago Cabrera (Transformers: The Last Knight) as Aquaman, Megan Gale (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Wonder Woman, Hugh Keays-Byrne (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Martian Manhunter and Common (Suicide Squad) as Green Lantern. Fans got a small glimpse of the entire Justice League Mortal cast in 2018, when Collider acquired a very low-res costume test photo featuring all seven League members.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=actors-who-almost-played-batman&captions=true"]
As this concept art shows, Mortal was well into preproduction before being canceled by Warner Brothers, one of many casualties of the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike. The film was even set to feature an epic brawl between Superman and Wonder Woman. Unicomb himself is attached to direct a documentary chronicling the canceled DC film, but the current status of that project is unknown.
What do you think of this new glimpse of Armie Hammer's Batman? Let us know in the comments below.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/designing-the-perfect-batsuit"]
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.Netflix Will Reduce Bandwidth in Europe for 30 Days
In a tweet on Wednesday, Breton confirmed that he had spoken to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings about the issue, as he encouraged people and companies to "switch to standard definition when HD is not necessary" to avoid putting infrastructures "in strain" and ensure that everyone has "secure internet access." In a secondary statement on Thursday, Breton stressed the importance of streaming platforms, telecom operators, and users taking the necessary action to reduce congestion and to safeguard the "smooth functioning of the internet during the battle against the virus propagation." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/19/5-kick-ass-action-movies-on-netflix"] A Netflix spokesperson told CNN, "Commissioner Breton is right to highlight the importance of ensuring that the internet continues to run smoothly during this critical time. We've been focused on network efficiency for many years, including providing our open connect service for free to telecommunications companies." The streaming giant also confirmed that it already takes measures to reduce the consumption of bandwidth by adjusting stream quality based on available network capacity and using a special network to deliver its library of content. Further, there have been no reports of outages or adverse affects as a result of the increased usage so far. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] At the moment of writing, cities in the USA have been following the lead of many in Europe with mandatory lockdowns. San Francisco and Los Angeles, California both announced lockdowns that include mandatory work-from-home policies, and shutting down bars and other high-risk gathering spaces. The most recent World Health Organization confirmed over 200 thousand cases globally, though that number increases every day. Consequently, people have been looking for ways to connect with their friends without having to leave the comfort of their sofas, with many turning to Netflix Party, a Google Chrome extension that allows multiple users to stream a Netflix show or movie together at the same time. This in itself shows a shift in behaviour as more and more people move towards indoor activities and creative connectivity at this unprecedented time. For a list of recommendations on how best to help, and stay safe, during the Coronavirus pandemic, please read our resource guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.Important phone conversation with @ReedHastings, CEO of @Netflix
To beat #COVID19, we #StayAtHome Teleworking & streaming help a lot but infrastructures might be in strain. To secure Internet access for all, let’s #SwitchToStandard definition when HD is not necessary. — Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) March 18, 2020
Netflix Will Reduce Bandwidth in Europe for 30 Days
In a tweet on Wednesday, Breton confirmed that he had spoken to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings about the issue, as he encouraged people and companies to "switch to standard definition when HD is not necessary" to avoid putting infrastructures "in strain" and ensure that everyone has "secure internet access." In a secondary statement on Thursday, Breton stressed the importance of streaming platforms, telecom operators, and users taking the necessary action to reduce congestion and to safeguard the "smooth functioning of the internet during the battle against the virus propagation." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/19/5-kick-ass-action-movies-on-netflix"] A Netflix spokesperson told CNN, "Commissioner Breton is right to highlight the importance of ensuring that the internet continues to run smoothly during this critical time. We've been focused on network efficiency for many years, including providing our open connect service for free to telecommunications companies." The streaming giant also confirmed that it already takes measures to reduce the consumption of bandwidth by adjusting stream quality based on available network capacity and using a special network to deliver its library of content. Further, there have been no reports of outages or adverse affects as a result of the increased usage so far. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] At the moment of writing, cities in the USA have been following the lead of many in Europe with mandatory lockdowns. San Francisco and Los Angeles, California both announced lockdowns that include mandatory work-from-home policies, and shutting down bars and other high-risk gathering spaces. The most recent World Health Organization confirmed over 200 thousand cases globally, though that number increases every day. Consequently, people have been looking for ways to connect with their friends without having to leave the comfort of their sofas, with many turning to Netflix Party, a Google Chrome extension that allows multiple users to stream a Netflix show or movie together at the same time. This in itself shows a shift in behaviour as more and more people move towards indoor activities and creative connectivity at this unprecedented time. For a list of recommendations on how best to help, and stay safe, during the Coronavirus pandemic, please read our resource guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.Important phone conversation with @ReedHastings, CEO of @Netflix
To beat #COVID19, we #StayAtHome Teleworking & streaming help a lot but infrastructures might be in strain. To secure Internet access for all, let’s #SwitchToStandard definition when HD is not necessary. — Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) March 18, 2020
Toilet Paper Prices Are on the Rise… in Fallout 76
Toilet Paper Prices Are on the Rise… in Fallout 76
Star Wars: Did Luke Have A Third Jedi Mentor?
Art by Jesus Saiz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption]
After rescuing his friends and retrieving his lost X-Wing, Luke decides to venture out on his own in search of this mysterious benefactor. Luke senses this character is a woman, giving us our first real clue as to their identity. Members of Reddit's StarWarsLeaks subreddit are already speculating this character could be Verla, a Jedi previously introduced in writer Charles Soule's Star Wars: Darth Vader series. Verla was depicted as a Jedi Padawan who survived Order 66 and battled Vader's forces on Mon Cala. She went into hiding after that battle, meaning she could still be alive and working to guide Luke on his journey.
However, the mystery Jedi seems to be drawn with an unusually tall head in the image above, suggesting they could be a nonhuman Jedi. That brings to mind several iconic prequel Jedi like Shaak Ti and Ahsoka Tano. We know Ahsoka survived the Clone Wars, thanks to Star Wars Rebels, though her exact whereabouts in this period are unclear. Shaak Ti's post-Episode III fate is currently a mystery. The 2008 video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed established she survived and went into hiding on the planet Felucia, but that game was rendered non-canon in Disney's new Star Wars timeline.
Whomever this character may be, she could well become Luke's newest Jedi mentor as the series progresses. Will she be the one that helps him complete the training he left unfinished back on Dagobah?
[caption id="attachment_2321745" align="aligncenter" width="1570"]
Art by Jesus Saiz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption]
As for Luke's lightsaber, the missing weapon is instead discovered by an Ugnaught on Cloud City. Somehow, the saber will make its way from Bespin into the hands of Maz Kanata. But as for how that happens or if that story will even be told in the pages of this series, that remains to be seen.
The good news is that Luke won't be saber-less for much longer. The cover for the upcoming Star Wars #6 shows Luke wielding a yellow-bladed lightsaber, a twist Soule confirmed is intended as an homage to the classic Kenner action figures. The hilt design and blade color both suggest this saber was once wielded by one of the Jedi Temple Guards on Coruscant.
Star Wars #4 does solve another long-running Star Wars mystery, as we finally learn how Luke recovered his X-Wing from Cloud City.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/star-wars-the-high-republic-explained"]
For more big developments in the Star Wars universe, find out all the new plot details revealed in the Rise of Skywalker novelization and learn more about the brand new Star Wars era being explored in The High Republic.
[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.Star Wars: Did Luke Have A Third Jedi Mentor?
Art by Jesus Saiz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption]
After rescuing his friends and retrieving his lost X-Wing, Luke decides to venture out on his own in search of this mysterious benefactor. Luke senses this character is a woman, giving us our first real clue as to their identity. Members of Reddit's StarWarsLeaks subreddit are already speculating this character could be Verla, a Jedi previously introduced in writer Charles Soule's Star Wars: Darth Vader series. Verla was depicted as a Jedi Padawan who survived Order 66 and battled Vader's forces on Mon Cala. She went into hiding after that battle, meaning she could still be alive and working to guide Luke on his journey.
However, the mystery Jedi seems to be drawn with an unusually tall head in the image above, suggesting they could be a nonhuman Jedi. That brings to mind several iconic prequel Jedi like Shaak Ti and Ahsoka Tano. We know Ahsoka survived the Clone Wars, thanks to Star Wars Rebels, though her exact whereabouts in this period are unclear. Shaak Ti's post-Episode III fate is currently a mystery. The 2008 video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed established she survived and went into hiding on the planet Felucia, but that game was rendered non-canon in Disney's new Star Wars timeline.
Whomever this character may be, she could well become Luke's newest Jedi mentor as the series progresses. Will she be the one that helps him complete the training he left unfinished back on Dagobah?
[caption id="attachment_2321745" align="aligncenter" width="1570"]
Art by Jesus Saiz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption]
As for Luke's lightsaber, the missing weapon is instead discovered by an Ugnaught on Cloud City. Somehow, the saber will make its way from Bespin into the hands of Maz Kanata. But as for how that happens or if that story will even be told in the pages of this series, that remains to be seen.
The good news is that Luke won't be saber-less for much longer. The cover for the upcoming Star Wars #6 shows Luke wielding a yellow-bladed lightsaber, a twist Soule confirmed is intended as an homage to the classic Kenner action figures. The hilt design and blade color both suggest this saber was once wielded by one of the Jedi Temple Guards on Coruscant.
Star Wars #4 does solve another long-running Star Wars mystery, as we finally learn how Luke recovered his X-Wing from Cloud City.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/star-wars-the-high-republic-explained"]
For more big developments in the Star Wars universe, find out all the new plot details revealed in the Rise of Skywalker novelization and learn more about the brand new Star Wars era being explored in The High Republic.
[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.
