Anson Mount on the Past, and Future, of Captain Pike
When Anson Mount took on the role of Captain Christopher Pike at the start of Star Trek: Discovery’s second season, the challenge he was facing was clear. The actor wasn’t just joining the established ensemble of CBS All Access’ flagship series, but he was also tasked with breathing new life into a character that had been created a half-century earlier and who is near and dear to many fans’ hearts, no matter how fleetingly he had appeared (Pike was famously only in the pre-Shatner Trek pilot and then a two-part episode in the show’s first season).
But Mount’s turn as the temporary captain of the USS Discovery helped to bring the show to new heights, so much so that these days the common refrain among Trekkies is “When are we getting a Captain Pike show?” On the occasion of Disco’s Season 2 Blu-ray release this week, as well as the Short Trek episode “Ask Not,” which stars Mount as Pike and just dropped, I spoke to the actor about his past, and potential future, in the role of the iconic captain.
Microsoft Flight Simulator Gameplay Trailer Shows Off New Planes
Xbox highlighted Microsoft Flight Simulator in a brand new gameplay trailer during X019, revealing the first group of aircraft manufacturers set to be included in the game.
Airbus, Boeing, CubCrafters, Daher Socata, Diamond, Icon, Robin, Textron, and more aircraft makers will be included in the upcoming revival of the longtime series.
Check out the trailer above to see the upcoming game in action.
First announced at E3 2019, Flight Simulator is set to be released in 2020, and IGN recently went hands-on with Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Renewed for Season 8 on NBC
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is still several months away from its Season 7 premiere, but NBC has already renewed the series for an eighth season.
Variety reports NBC made the early decision in the wake of strong numbers for Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 6 earlier this year. The move also comes as the network seeks to fill the gaps left by the upcoming finales of The Good Place and Will & Grace.
This will mark the show's third season on NBC. It was cancelled on its original network, FOX, following Season 5 in 2018. Rumors suggested the series was headed to Hulu at one point, but the streaming company ended up passing.
Age of Empires 4 Gameplay Trailer Shows Off Grand Scale Battles
Xbox revealed the first gameplay trailer for Age of Empires 4 during its X019 presentation today. The new 4K trailer is fairly short but shows large-scale battles are coming to the Age of Empires series. Watch the new trailer above.
The teaser trailer takes place during a battle in the middle ages as two sides — the Mongols and the English — face off against one another in a grand battle. This is the first look at gameplay for Age of Empires 4 since it was announced in 2017.
Xbox also announced a brand new video game development studio called World’s Edge that will be dedicated to the Age of Empires franchise. Led by the former head of Xbox Game Studios Global Publishing group Shannon Loftis, World’s Edge is the newest game studios to work under the Xbox brand.
Halo: Master Chief Collection on PC Release Date Announced, Includes Halo: Reach
Microsoft and 343 Industries have revealed that Halo: Reach will be added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection on December 3, 2019, and will be available on both Xbox One and on PC.
Halo: Reach will be the only title initially available for Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC and can be purchased on either the Microsoft Store or Steam, but it will also be available on Xbox Game Pass for PC. All Halo games will eventually be added to PC one-by-one in chronological order. Those looking to secure the entire Halo experience on PC are able pre-purchase them upfront for $39.99 USD.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available on Xbox Game Pass on Xbox One and PC and all of Halo: Reach will be free. For those who are not subscribers of XGP, Halo: Reach's multiplayer will be free, but the campaign and Firefight mode will need to be purchased.
DC’s Black Adam Movie Confirmed for 2021 Release Date
Black Adam will arrive in theaters on December 22, 2021. Dwayne Johnson announced the news Thursday afternoon in an Instagram post.
The Instagram post is accompanied with what looks like a piece of concept art for the film with the date at the bottom. Johnson talked about his ongoing desire to play a superhero in the picture's caption.
"As a kid, Superman was the hero I always wanted to be. But, a few years into my fantasy, I realized that Superman was the hero, I could never be," Johnson wrote in his post. "I was too rebellious. Too rambunctious. Too resistant to convention and authority. Despite my troubles, I was still a good kid with a good heart - I just liked to do things my way. Now, years later as a man, with the same DNA I had as a kid - my superhero dreams have come true."
New Motorola Razr Smartphone is Nostalgia That Costs $1,500
Remember when the Motorola Razr made flip phones cool? Well, joining the Galaxy Fold in the resurgence of foldable smartphones is the new Motorola Razr. Shown at an event in Los Angelos last night, the new foldable smartphone brings back the iconic clamshell-style of its much older sibling. This time around, though, you won't be limited to a small screen on one half of the phone. Using a flexible glass, the Razr now sports a full 6.2 inch HD display that folds completely in half.
The Motorola Razr has a hinge hidden behind the display, just like the Huawei Mate X. Motorola states that it went through four iterations of the hinge and the current version folds perfectly in half, all while managing to avoid creasing. It brings back a couple signature features of flip phones as well. You can snap the Motorola Razr shut with a satisfying click and it comes with a screen on the front. Dubbed the "Quick View" display, you can now use the 2.7 inch OLED screen when the phone is folded to see notifications, respond to texts,calls, and emails, take selfies, and use Google Assistant.
New SpongeBob Movie Trailer Shows Appearance by Keanu Reeves
The new trailer for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run features a surprise cameo from Keanu Reeves, playing the disembodied role of a mystical tumbleweed (yes, really).
The bearded face of the John Wick movie star is projected onto an animated bundle of sage that appears in front of SpongeBob and Patrick to impart words of wisdom, presumably at some point on their quest to find the titular character's snail-napped pet Gary.
"Call me Sage," Reeves' declares. "I'm made out of sage and I am a sage, so it works out pretty well."
Arise: A Simple Story Preview: A Beautiful, Time-Twisting Adventure
Memories allow us to look back on the big and small moments of our lives, but those visions of the past are filtered through how our mind remembers them. Time, space, and even what was said can be twisted, even slightly, by our memory.
Arise, the first game from Piccolo Studio that debuts on Dec. 2 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, plays with this very idea in a 10-level journey through a dead man’s life. And given the two levels I played through, Arise is showing some beautiful promise in how it uses time-based gameplay to accentuate this man’s journey — and deliver on some pretty fun platforming to boot.
Arise is built around time — its silent protagonist is now in limbo, his life over, and yet the journey he just undertook lies before him. Through 10 different levels, the man (and thus the player) explores 10 different moments, some that take place over the course of a day and others that happen in just a few seconds. Of course, levels are much longer — each took me roughly 15-20 minutes to complete while obtaining some of each stage’s collectibles — as you make your way through by jumping, climbing, and swinging through levels in which you can also control the flow of time.
Best Marvel and Avengers Gifts 2019
Marvel and Marvel's Avengers are undoubtedly the biggest thing in popular culture right now, but they have a long history predating the movies. That means there's almost an overwhelming number of possible gift choices out there for Marvel fans. We've scoured the Internet to come up with the best Marvel and Marvel's Avengers gifts you can give someone this holiday.