Some Pokémon Sword And Shield Fans Are Skeptical
The veil has finally been lifted on the eighth generation of Pokémon games, dubbed Pokémon Sword and Shield. The reveal was a big moment for the series, as it marks the first time a mainline Pokémon title has appeared on the Switch. The promise of a new region to explore, new Pokémon to find, and new mysteries to unravel is more than enough to get us excited, even this early on. Fans are already pouring over the new starter characters and deciding what allegiances they’ll be making, designing fan art, and coming up with memes and jokes as they indulge in all the new details the trailer revealed to us.
As the Nintendo Direct showed us the games in action, they were clearly every bit the Pokémon we know and love. But are they too familiar? While it’s too early to tell just how unique a mainline Pokémon experience Sword and Shield will be on a current generation Nintendo console, especially after just one short trailer, some of the more critical sentiments online bring up a few good points.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix Director Spoils Which Major Character Dies in It
MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
A new trailer for X-Men: Dark Phoenix was recently released and hinted at the death of a major character and the director of the film, Simon Kinberg, confirmed the shocking move.
In an interview with EW, Kinberg discussed the reveal that Mystique, played by Jennifer Lawrence, dies at the hand of Sophie Turner's Jean Grey while Grey is "struggling with the emerging Phoenix inside her."
When asked about why Kinberg and the team decided to reveal Lawrence's fate in this trailer, he responded that it was "to primarily show that this is a movie that is unlike other X-Men movies."
Opinion: Video Games Still Have a Way to Go with Black Avatars
I’ve been a gamer for almost three decades, but I’ve been black my entire life. When I started gaming on my first Atari 2600 in 1982, the thought of having characters who looked like me -- in stories relevant to my background or culture -- was the furthest thing from my mind.
In ‘82, I was obsessed with roping pixelated cattle on Stampede and dodging crocodiles with Pitfall Harry in Pitfall. In 2019, I find myself confused as to why there hasn’t been a huge amount of progress in black representation in video games. From the lack of black protagonists in triple A titles to the uneasy fact that black avatars always play second fiddle to white ones -- I have to pay almost $10 just to have a black avatar represent me in a free-to-play game like Guns of Glory -- the slow progress is puzzling.
Jordan Peele’s New Sci-Fi Show on YouTube Is Weird
Weird City is a new YouTube Premium sci-fi anthology series set in the futuristic metropolis of "Weird." Created by Charlie Sanders and Jordan Peele, this six-episode dark comedy has some serious star power, featuring household names like Ed O’Neill (Modern Family), Rosario Dawson (Luke Cage), and Michael Cera (Arrested Development). Sanders spoke with IGN about the series' humble beginnings.
"It all started in 2011," Sanders told IGN. Back in those days, before Sanders had his own show, he was a writer for Comedy Central on Key & Peele. For five seasons, Sanders worked alongside one of television's funniest duos and wrote some crazy sci-fi sketches that his boss was fond of. "I was writing a bunch of weird sci-fi sketches for the show that Jordan really liked," Sanders explained. "And so we just started talking about, if Key & Peele blew up, maybe we’d take some of the sci-fi ideas and blow them out into bigger episodes and make our own show out of it."
Sign Points to Potential Borderlands 3 Announcement
Update: Gearbox has teased its upcoming PAX East 2019 main theater show with a new image that undoubtedly points to something Borderlands-related appearing at the show, which would line up with heavy speculation of a proper Borderlands 3 announcement.
Gearbox's teaser image teases the March 28 show in Boston, Massachusetts, with a stylized, cel-shaded highway sign set in a desert area. The sign also bears the marker "Exit 3."
via Gearbox's Twitter
Opinion: The Division 2 Has the Opportunity to Capitalize on Anthem’s Shortcomings
When The Division 2 was first announced to be coming out a month after Anthem at E3 2018, I remember thinking the familiar-looking sequel to 2016’s original would have a hard time stealing the spotlight from the flashy and (potentially) innovative sci-fi shared-world shooter. Now Anthem is out, and after 40+ generally underwhelming hours with it, I feel the opposite is true. Anthem’s combat is fun, and I have high hopes for the future, but the fact remains that too much of its meaningful multiplayer gameplay and progression was hidden behind its repetitive and weirdly lonely quest grind. With this all-too-common shared-world shortcoming fresh in players’ minds, Massive Entertainment is in a unique position to showcase what lessons it’s learned from nearly three years of post-launch support on The Division.
Opinion: Anthem May Have Its Problems, but Its NPCs Are Fantastic
Coming away from Anthem, I constantly hear people talking about how it makes them feel like Iron Man; you get to zoom around in a powerful suit and blast away enemies. I also hear about how it’s not quite living up to expectations, at least not at launch, but you can read more about that in IGN’s review. But when I step away from Anthem, what I’m excited to write home about are the great characters hanging around in Fort Tarsis and all of the world-building collectibles scattered about. Did you know that the actors behind Fix-It Felix, Louise Belcher, and Charles Boyle all lent their talents to characters in Anthem? Did you know they also have their own short storylines?
Pokemon Sword and Shield Trailer Breakdown
Pokemon has sent out a call to arms with the reveal of the new Gen 8 games on the Nintendo Switch, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. We’re going to point out all of the new and returning mechanics, what the trailer tells us about the new region, and piece together some clues about the two new Legendaries.
But we’re going to start with the most sacred of rituals that marks the start of every new Pokemon Generation…
The Judging of the Starters!
Our Biggest Look Yet at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Disney has revealed a ton of new information for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, including attractions, food, drinks, and even a shop where fans can create a one-of-a-kind Lightsaber.
Last week, a special preview event was held at Disneyland Resort that revealed more of the magic of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, and it's our biggest look yet at the land that aims to transport fans into the universe of Star Wars and make dreams come true.
We've heard a little bit about the two main attractions at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance - and more details have been revealed on what to expect.
Pokemon Go: Legendary Pokemon Dialga Headed to Raid Battles
Legendary Pokemon Dialga is headed to Pokemon Go.
As revealed by Niantic on Pokemon Go's official site, Dialga will join Raid Battles on March 1 at 1:00PM PT and will remain in the game until March 28 at 1:00PM PT.
Dialga is the fifth Legendary Pokemon from the Sinnoh region to come to Pokemon Go, following Giratina, Cresselia, Heatran, and Palkia. Overall, Dialga will be the 80th Sinnoh Pokemon available in Pokemon Go so far.
Pokemon Go most recently added a new AR Snapshot mode, allowing you to take photos with any Pokemon in your collection for the first time.