Game of Thrones Season 6 Casting Search Begins
The initial character descriptions for the next season of Game of Thrones have dropped, and they're ripe for analysis.
The breakdown, via Watchers on the Wall, is detailed below. Keep in mind that while these are broad, if you're extremely spoiler-averse you may want to close the tab.
- Pirate, man in his 40’s to late 50’s. He’s “an infamous pirate who has terrorized seas all around the world. Cunning, ruthless, with a touch of madness.”
He’s a dangerous-looking man. A very good part this season.
- Father. Aged 50’s to 60’s, he’s one of the greatest soldiers in Westeros- a humorless martinet, severe and intimidating. He demands martial discipline in the field and in his home. It’s described as “a very good part” for next year and that he’s “centrally involved” in a protagonist’s storyline.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PS4 Patch Out Now
The latest patch for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PlayStation 4 is now live, adding a number of fixes that improve overall game stability while also offering a few visual tweaks.
Dubbed Patch 1.03, this new update squashes a number of bugs, including one in which which the player is able to shoot bolts at friendly NPCs, and another that would result in a "spontaneous combustion of gas clouds."
Additionally, foliage behavior in select scenes has been improved and shadow popping has been reduced. Gwent addicts will be pleased to know that, not only have a few minor graphical bugs been dealt with, but the overall stability in gameplay during matches has been improved as well.
Jurassic World Tracking to Open at $100 Million
With brisk pre-release ticket sales and effective trailers, analysts predict a monster opening weekend for Jurassic World.
Jurassic World is in the top five for ticket sales this week on Fandango, and has continued to be a strong performer since pre-release orders became available May 15th. Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com tells Variety, “The trailers are connecting in such a big way."
This is the first Jurassic Park film since 2001's Jurassic Park 3, which grossed an admirable $181 million in the US, but far less than the first two installments, which were both directed by Steven Spielberg. While Spielberg will serve as the executive producer on Jurassic World, the directing reins were given to indie darling Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed). However, Chris Pratt snagged the lead role, and should have enough box office karma thanks to last summer's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Halo 3: ODST MCC Release Date Revealed
The release date for the Master Chief Collection version of Halo 3: ODST is listed on Xbox.com as May 29, 2015.
The remastered port of Halo 3: ODST will join the numbered Halo games as part of the Xbox One collection in both the US and UK.
343 Industries announced in December that it would be giving the ODST add-on away for free to gamers who played Halo: The Master Chief Collection between launch day and December 19, 2014.
The freebie is a thanks to fans for their patience during MCC's bumpy start, when ongoing issues with the current gen update of the 4 numbered Halo games plagued the game. The problems included matchmaking problems that saw potential players waiting up to three hours before getting a match.
Why We’re Excited for Wolverine’s ‘Return’
We all want the best of the best, so let us point out the hottest comics and collectibles released each week. We spotlight our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent, new books that look cool, and any toys we can't wait to play with.
Check out our picks, then take to the comments to let us know what looks good to you!
By writer Chuck Palahniuk & artist Cameron Stewart | Dark Horse Comics
Sunset Review
In Sunset, you sweep dusty floors, wash spotted windows, and fold a stranger’s well-pressed, tailored clothes--every week for a full year.
These acts might sound routine and tedious, but when you’re rooted in the fictional Latin American country of Anchuria during a 1972 military coup, a ritualistic comfort goes along with carefully making a bed or unclogging the upstairs sink. Still, uncertainty lies even within these constants because the man whose house you maintain has ties to the political and cultural turmoil engulfing the streets. Sunset beautifully pairs its dull corners with a sharp, sociopolitical edge, and while its inconsistent pacing and nagging technical hiccups blur the vision, there’s an unquestionable beauty in watching the sunset kiss the tips of skyscrapers as another somber day comes to a close.
You'll spend Sunset's four-hour run with Angela Burns, an African-American engineer working as a housekeeper to cover her hefty school bills. Angela works for the affluent art collector Gabriel Ortega, whom Angela gets to know solely through his surplus of sculptures and paintings, his eclectic taste in literature, and a series of notes on which you can write personal responses. You become most intimately acquainted with the actual apartment, though, which both subtly and dramatically morphs as the revolution outside its walls progresses. It’s a character all its own, and you grow accustomed to its many distinguishing features--such as the deep closet dug into Ortega’s bedroom, the neatly prepared chess board in the game room that pines for players, and, maybe most importantly, the wide windows by the patio that act as a thin veil between calm and chaos.
How this apartment is decorated and what you do during each in-game hour is up to you. If you feel compelled to go above and beyond the to-do list and hang up pictures of Ortega’s accomplishments, you have the option. If you just don’t feel up to lifting a finger on a cool September evening, you can simply turn around, open the elevator doors, and call it a night.
You do work within boundaries, though. You can’t throw a chair in the fireplace or send the grand piano out the window and into the streets (I tried), but the chores you’re assigned have variations. You’re given a warm and a cool option when you hover your cursor over a task, which determines whether you want to add some personality to the work or complete the task plainly. You can decorate the second floor with bright, floral wallpaper or slap on whatever drab design Ortega has tucked away in the closet. The material of the rug in front of the fireplace, the color of the fresh coat of paint on the bar walls, the care taken when stitching a patch into a ripped piece of clothing--this system provides a fork in every road. How these decisions affect actual change in the grand scheme of things isn’t always clear, but they do act as a silent, day-to-day means of communication between you and Ortega.
Much of the storytelling in this first-person experience is visual, but Angela’s running monologue provides direct context for each week’s happenings and her current feelings toward Ortega. In addition, Angela can sit on a canvas-wrapped chair located within the apartment at any time to begin scribbling notes into her diary. Beyond questioning Ortega’s intentions and worrying for her rebel brother’s safety during the conflict, she digs deeper into her interpretation of Ortega’s art, the social differences between Anchuria and her hometown of Baltimore, and her place in this unstable country. This is where the superb writing shines brightest, and while the text’s sluggish scroll quickly drains precious minutes before the sun sets, it’s worth your time to drink it all in.
Depending on how often you complete tasks and reply to notes with a warm sensibility, a strong romantic bond begins to form between tenant and housekeeper. It starts as an innocent flirtation, but as the revolution escalates, so do their feelings toward one another. And while the passion isn’t capped by a nightly embrace and kiss goodbye, watching the unspoken dance grow and evolve into something deeper is satisfying. It’s hard to know whether or not it’s a kinship born from tragedy and stoked by fear, but they find comfort in each other’s presence--even if that presence isn’t physical.
For the most part, the deliberate pacing benefits the relationship’s establishment. However, the steady climb toward a resolution is occasionally broken by days of inactivity and narrative stagnation. More than a few visits feel like filler, with no notes to respond to and few tasks to complete. These periods slowly drag you away from an otherwise compelling story. Sunset excels at using subtlety to build tension and curiosity, but when the progression halts, the activities start to feel like exactly what they are--chores.
Running Sunset on higher graphical settings can also be called a chore. Even after experimenting with a handful of different option combinations, I couldn’t find a mix that permanently steadied my framerate or prevented hitching. The presentation--from the glamour of the sky’s often-lavender glow to the dark smoke billowing from the buildings in the distance--is salient but often muddled by technical inconsistency. It’s a shame, too, because when Sunset does run smoothly for a visit or two and the powerful, orchestral soundtrack booms across the household, it can be an audiovisual marvel.
Sunset presents so much, all while asking you to do so little. A revolution burns, bombs burst just out of sight, and all you can do is decide if your boss would rather have a fancy dinner or a hefty portion of macaroni. The complexity of your decisions is occasionally greater than setting the table, but Sunset succeeds at making each small action feel significant by giving them all similar weight. Though the story is peppered with periods of inactivity that are detrimental to the pace, Sunset acts as a thoughtful, pensive walk through social themes and struggles not often explored in this medium.
Super Metroid Was Almost Hidden in Metroid Prime
Information obtained from an anonymous source suggests the entire game of Super Metroid was supposed to be an unlockable hidden in the GameCube first-person adventure Metroid Prime.
A video released by Unseen64 - a site dedicated to archiving images, footage, and information about unreleased video game projects - claims this anonymous source formerly of Retro Studios confirmed the Super Nintendo classic Super Metroid was once included and playable in Metroid Prime via a link between the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube.
Daredevil’s D’Onofrio Reportedly Riding Into CHiPs
After successfully portraying a villain for Netflix and Marvel's Daredevil, Vincent D'Onofrio may be headed for another villainous role in Warner Bros.' CHiPs.
D'Onofrio, who played Wilson "The Kingpin" Fisk on Daredevil, is in negotiations to play the main bad guy in the big screen adaption of the '70s hit TV series about California Highway Patrolmen. His character, a ruthless former cop, would be the ringleader in an exotic-car theft ring, reports THR.
New Crypt of the NecroDancer Mod Features Mega Man
A mod for Crypt of the NecroDancer has added Mega Man and several of his friends into the rhythm-based roguelike on PC.
Created by Steam modder CutmanMike, Crypt of the MegaDancer has completely converted Crypt of the NecroDancer into a Mega Man-themed rhythm game featuring key characters from the Blue Bomber's 8-bit glory days.
The mod's Steam page announces new graphics, sound files, and leaderboards have been added to MegaDancer. It is currently available as a 30MB download for those who currently own Crypt of the NecroDancer on Steam.
Game of Thrones: Did ‘The Gift’ End on the Wrong Scene?
It's time for another episode of IGN's Game of Thrones show! Your regular hosts have been sent to the Wall for earning the ire of Sir Pounce, so Joshua Yehl and Jim Vejvoda have risen to serve the realm by discussing Season 5, Episode 8 "The Gift."
Warning: Beware of full show spoilers!
After giving our overall thoughts of the episode, we talk about the stand-out moments, including the big meet-up between Tyrion and Daenerys, the High Sparrow turning the tables on Cersei, the follow-up to Sansa's controversial scene with Ramsay Bolton, and what Littlefinger is up to and where this is all headed.