Who Is the New Arkham Knight?
Another new comic book day has come and gone. If you want to know what the biggest and most noteworthy comics of the week were, you've come to the right place.
Scroll down to hear about some of our favorite plot twists and new debuts, and to read our new reviews and editorials. And as always, be sure to let us know your favorite books in the comments below.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Detective Comics #1004!
Star Wars Stories The Phantom Menace Made Possible
This past weekend marked the 20th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. It may be one of the more divisive Star Wars movies, but it also opened up a wealth of new storytelling opportunities for the franchise. We spotlighted some of the books and novels that only exist because Episode I made them possible.
Game of Thrones: Every Loose End the Series Never Tied Up
Full spoilers for the Game of Thrones series finale follow. For even more on Game of Thrones, be sure to check out our WTF questions about the finale, why Drogon did what he did in the end, why Westeros' new leader is a terrifying choice, or how Jon's Snow's fate brings the series full circle.
Rotten Tomatoes Introduces ‘Verified’ Audience Review/Ratings System
Rotten Tomatoes has announced and detailed its “verified” audience review and ratings system, making it easier for users to determine which reviews were written by someone who has actually seen the movie.
For eligible movies from today onward, audience scores will include fans who have been confirmed to have purchased tickets to the movie they’re reviewing. While all fans are still able to write a review regardless of if they’ve been verified for that movie, those who have will display a “verified” badge with their written reviews. According to official images shared by Rotten Tomatoes, verified and “all audience” review scores can be viewed separately.
Credit: Rotten Tomatoes.
HBO Boss Responds to Game of Thrones Finale Backlash
HBO programming president Casey Bloys has responded to the fan backlash surrounding the Game of Thrones series finale 'The Iron Throne,' saying you have to take the online reaction “with a grain of salt."
In an interview with Deadline, Bloys was asked if he was surprised how fans reacted to the finale, saying "No. To tell you the truth, for a show this big and this sprawling and for a show that has this passionate a fan base, I don’t think there is any way that all fans would’ve been happy. I think based on online reaction, which you do have to take with a grain of salt, it does seem split and I think that’s about right — some people are going to love it, some people are going to hate it. But the point is, everybody is feeling really passionate about it.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Trailer Confirms More X-Men Characters
A new Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order trailer confirms more X-Men characters are coming to the upcoming Nintendo Switch exclusive.
Most of the new X-Men characters revealed are villains, including Magneto, Juggernaut and Mystique, though original X-Men member Beast and fan favorite Psylocke are also confirmed, while the imposing Sentinels appear to be a common enemy type.
The trailer shows Magneto tearing apart the X-Mansion with what appears to be the Power Stone, though once The Black Order appears, Magneto provisionally joins the Ultimate Alliance. Previously announced X-Men characters for the game include Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler and Scarlet Witch.
Mutant Year Zero’s Seed of Evil Expansion Revealed, Coming in July
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden will be getting a new expansion - Seed of Evil - that will bring hours of gameplay, new locations to visit, and a new leading character - Big Khan the moose - to the turn-based tactical adventure game.
Mutant Year Zero is set in a post-apocalyptic Sweden and has players controlling a group of mutants trying to survive in the ruins of civilization. In our review, we said, "In changing the interplay between stealth and combat, Mutant Year Zero spins an interesting and intense new perspective on turn-based tactics that pushes you to get the most out of every move you make."
Dead Island 2 Is Apparently Still Alive
Dead Island 2, a game that was announced half a decade ago and has since gone through numerous development setbacks, is purportedly "still being worked on."
Revealed in a THQ Nordic financial report call over a slide that included upcoming releases from the increasingly large publisher, CEO Lars Wingefors simply said "Dead Island 2, still being worked on. Stay tuned.” The slide showed a logo for Dead Island 2, confirming it’s still coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One, but no new information was revealed.
Credit: THQ Nordic.
Star Trek: Picard Teaser Trailer Breakdown
For even more on Jean-Luc Picard's new series, Star Trek: Picard, be sure to check out the Picard Timeline Explained!
It was 25 years ago today that the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "All Good Things...," aired. So it's only appropriate that CBS All Access would use this anniversary to debut its first look at Star Trek: Picard, the upcoming series which sees Patrick Stewart returning to the iconic role of Jean-Luc Picard.
You can watch the Star Trek: Picard teaser trailer here and also check out the first poster for the show below.
The Division 2 Dark Hours Raid Will Not Have Its Difficulty Adjusted
While The Division 2's Dark Hours raid's difficulty has been a point of contention, especially for console players, developer Massive Entertainment says it currently has no plans to adjust the challenge.
As reported by VG247, the Dark Hours raid launched last week and it took five hours for the first PC players to complete it. However, console players could not complete the raid until the third day it was available.
Currently, over 7,000 PC players have completed the Dark Hours raid, while only 200 people have completed it on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This has caused many fans to speak out and request some changes to be made to the difficulty. Ubisoft even commented that "it is not outside the realm of possibility that tweaks will be made moving forward."
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey PC, Console Release Dates Revealed
Panache Digital Games and Private Division have announced that Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey will be released first on PC this August, and later on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The PC version of the game will launch through the Epic Games store on August 27, and the PS4 and Xbox One digital releases are set for December 2019. Panache also revealed official key art for Ancestors and a second behind-the-scenes video featuring the game’s creative director Patrice Désilets, who explains Ancestors' gameplay mechanics and concepts.
“You have to explore your environment, expand your clan, to eventually evolve into a new species,” said Désilets. “You’re a clan, it’s about a clan, a family - that lineage needs to go through time and eventually evolve into another species. You can play as a baby, you can play as an adult, you can play as an elder: you’re controlling one character inside a clan, and your clan is what needs to survive."