Ben Affleck Joins Justice League as Executive Producer
Ben Affleck is taking a more hands-on role in the Justice League film -- specifically, as an executive producer.
Deadline reports that in his new capacity as an executive producer, Affleck will be working with both screenwriter Chris Terrio and director Zack Snyder behind-the-scenes on the project. That's on top of his starring role in the film as Batman.
Affleck has gained critical acclaim and accolades for his writing and directing work before in films like Gone Baby Gone and Argo, so it only makes sense to tap his advice. It would be somewhat of a reunion, too, since Terrio wrote the Best Picture winning Argo. Sources say Affleck is doing it in part to be supportive of Snyder.
13 Biggest Civil War Movie/Comic Differences
While the new Captain America movie is subtitled "Civil War," there are several notable differences between the movie and the original Civil War comic event from 2006 by writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven. From the heroes and villains involved to the ramifications of the war, here are the biggest differences.
Warning: this article contains full spoilers for both the Civil War comic and the Captain America: Civil War movie!
In the Civil War comic book, a group of young superheroes called the New Warriors tried to get famous by taking on a group of nasty villains, only for the villain Nitro to explode, instantly killing the team and 600 civilians, triggering a political reaction that brought about the Superhero Registration Act.
Agents of SHIELD: See Coulson React to Marvel’s Civil War
With Captain America: Civil War now in theaters, it was inevitable the events of that film would impact Marvel's Agents of SHIELD and IGN has an exclusive new clip showing just that occurring.
Check out a scene from next week's episode below, as Talbot (Adrian Pasdar) comes to see Coulson (Clark Gregg) to discuss the Sokovia Accords from Civil War how they tie into the Inhumans currently working for SHIELD.
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD: "Emancipation" airs Tuesday, May 10th on ABC.
Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheEricGoldman, IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at Facebook.com/TheEricGoldman.
Battlefield 1 is Official, First Details Revealed
Following a leak this morning, EA has officially confirmed that the next Battlefield game is called Battlefield 1.
Battlefield 1 is set in World War I and will be released on October 21, 2016 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC (via Origin).
If you want to play three days early, an Early Enlister Deluxe Edition will be available for all platforms on October 18 for $79.99 and will include extra vehicles, weapons and emblems including the Red Baron Pack, the Lawrence of Arabia Pack, and new visual appearances for three large vehicles -- the Frontline Camouflage Train, the Night Raid Airship, and the Dazzle Camouflage Dreadnought.
Game of Thrones: Official Plot Descriptions for Episode 4 and 5
HBO has release the plot descriptions for the fourth and fifth episodes of Game of Thrones: Season 6 in all their vague glory.
The synopsis for episode 4, "Book of the Stranger," reads: "Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) strikes a deal. Jorah (Iain Glen) and Daario (Michiel Huisman) undertake a difficult task. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey) try to improve their situation."
The synopsis for episode 5, "The Door," reads: "Tyrion seeks a strange ally. Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) learns a great deal. Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) goes on a mission. Arya (Maisie Williams) is given a chance to prove herself."
As Game of Thrones goes further and further into unknown territory, HBO's descriptions for each episode get more and more cryptic. Tyrion's storyline, for instance, is certainly up for speculation. Who is his "strange ally"? Some of the other tidbits of information are a bit more straightforward.
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Watch Deadpool Again, Right Now
It's not exactly a sale, but the movie is so fun I'm posting this anyway. The Blu-ray is only four days away, but if you can't wait, you can grab it digitally and watch it right now for $15, if you're so inclined.
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Chronos Review
Chronos is a game about combat mastery. Hostile encounters lead you through its world, separated only by puzzles and moments of discovery. Understanding your enemies and overcoming them is key to moving forward, while death acts as the teacher that keeps you after class to discuss what you did wrong. Some foes can prove highly difficult, but learning their patterns and how they react to your actions turns such encounters from stilted and daunting to rhythmic and exhilarating. Chronos could be accused of mimicking a number of different games, but what it does with all it has makes for a highly enjoyable experience that stands on its own despite a few flaws.
A third-person action-adventure game, Chronos puts you in control of an 18 year old character, and every time you die and respawn, you age a year. With aging comes changes to your character. While you're young, there's a bigger emphasis on your strength, agility, and vitality stats, but that wanes as you grow older--your arcane stat becomes more significant, as your other three stats grow at a slower rate. Starting at age 20, you earn a trait every 10 years that grants you a significant stat boost in either strength, agility, arcane, or vitality. Getting older is just as scary as it is in real life, so staying alive feels paramount to staying strong and healthy; thankfully, it's not quite as dire as that since I felt like I needed to restart because I had gotten too old--you don't lose any of the points you assign after leveling up.
Your options in combat consist of attacking, dodging, and blocking. Your weapon of choice should correspond to where you're putting your skill points; if you use a sword, you'll benefit from more agility, while an axe will become more powerful with a higher strength stat. It's unfortunate that there are more strength-oriented weapons earlier in the game, as I only got a chance to switch up my sword for a worthwhile weapon when I was deep into the second half of my playthrough.
Arcane is Chronos's form of magic, though it acts less like what you'd expect and more like a power attack. However, this isn't a bad thing, as executing arcane-infused attacks is incredibly satisfying. When you get the first arcane stone, it adds a little extra kick to your heavy attacks. Additionally, your attacks become infused with the arcane magic when you dodge at the right time, further enhancing the satisfying rhythm of combat.
Puzzle solutions range from finding and combining the right items to spotting hidden points of interest in the environment. The former works every time, however, the puzzles that require a keen eye can be a pain; an early puzzle that required me to notice a relatively small detail had me stumped for quite a while. The solution consisted of looking intently at something I wasn't yet able to interact with, so I just brushed it off as something I would deal with later. Eventually, after going through every room and tinkering with every little thing a couple times, I discovered the solution and was able to progress--it was a frustrating bump in what was and would continue to be an engaging adventure.
The story revolves around three different worlds, defeating three bosses, and then slaying a dragon. There's more to it, and it even (sort of) explains why you age a year every time you die; however, it's all delivered through computer terminals, books, and other optional articles. It's not the most exciting or interesting narrative, and you won't feel lost or confused if you choose to ignore it--the sparse narrative acts more as a world-building device than anything else. Chronos allows itself to be all about the combat, puzzle-solving, and adventure.
Initially, Chronos didn't strike me as something that would make much sense in virtual reality. However, as I played, my mind was quickly changed. Chronos made things you wouldn't even think about in a non-VR game stand out in effective ways. Gigantic enemies feel huge and made my palms sweat more than I'd like to admit, and there's a type of enemy that only moves when you don't look at it--not your character, you. These seemingly small touches make a big impact when playing in VR.
Chronos made things you wouldn't even think about in a non-VR game stand out in effective ways.
Chronos is played at a fixed camera angle that shifts as you explore the world, similar to classic Resident Evil games. In one room you'll be positioned on top of a table, while in the next you could be looking down on your character from a ceiling corner. This method allows for great scene composition, adding to Chronos' already foreboding atmosphere in an awesome way. One particular moment sets a creepy mood as you--the viewer--are put behind the bars of a prison cell, watching your character move about on the other side. This approach is a defining element of Chronos, and it's a boon the majority of the time, but it proves problematic on occasion when you have to judge the location of pitfalls from an ill-fitting perspective. Enemies can also get in your way and obstruct your view, and while this is a rare occurrence, it plagues your encounter with the last boss, who's otherwise frustrating. It's a disappointing bookend to what is otherwise a game filled with fantastic enemies and rewarding combat.
Chronos' flaws are obvious, but thankfully few and far between. When you push your way through its more annoying aspects, it welcomes you with enticingly grim set pieces and tense encounters. It's a highly-rewarding game that proves you can leverage VR to enhance traditional games, but Chronos doesn't use it as a crutch; it stands tall all on its own.
IGN UK Podcast #330 – Overwatch Is Accidentally Our New Obsession
To use the parlance of our times, Overwatch has emerged out of a jungle of MOBA-infused FPS games and ganked us right in the excitement buttons. Krupa, Joe and Dale are just a little enthused about the potential of Blizzard's new characterful shooter.
And that's not to mention trips to see hidden Star Wars stories, a man nearly stabbing Gav off of a balcony, and the genetic differences between those who are... affected by asparagus. Get involved, if you please.
IGN UK Podcast #330 - Overwatch Is Accidentally Our New Obsession
Take a Tour of Tokyo’s Incredible Mario-Themed Bar
If you wander far enough into Tokyo, you’ll find Star Club, an unassuming Super Mario-themed bar above a restaurant in the Shinjuku district.
Star Club may not look like much from the outside, but inside is an awesome collection of Warp Pipes, Boos, and even Mario Kart steering wheels spread throughout the bar.
Swipe through the image gallery below for a look inside of the best Mario bar you’re likely to find:
For more on Star Club, be sure to visit the bar’s official site.
‘Battlefield 1′ Title, Art Leaked Ahead of Official Reveal
It appears that Electronic Arts' upcoming Battlefield game will be set in an alternative-reality World War I, and titled Battlefield 1.
An image from the game showed up this morning on Xbox Live, advertising today's Battlefield reveal livestream.
Over on Reddit, a retail promotional poster shows the same image, potentially revealing the game's title as Battlefield 1. An additional image suggests the game's release date will be October 18, 2016 and a Hellfighter Pack featuring the "Harlem Hellfighter infantry regiment."