7 Avengers Villains We Want in the Movies
Avengers: Age of Ultron is almost upon us, but even though we haven't seen it yet, we can't help but wonder what other villains will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe to make hell the Avengers.
Here are seven Avengers villains that we want to see on the big screen.
The Masters of Evil are the dark mirror of the Avengers -- a team of supervillains who just want to bring the heroes down and rule the world. There have been many leaders over the years, but for the movies we want to see the classic -- Nazi scientist Baron Zemo, who has ties to Captain America. And wouldn't you know it, the good Baron was confirmed to be in Captain America: Civil War, which sets the stage for him to potentially spin out into a big Avengers villain.
Valve Axes Paid Mods For Skyrim From Steam Workshop
Valve is removing the payment feature from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim workshop, according to an official Steam Community post that admits Skyrim's established modding community was "not the right place to start iterating."
“We've done this because it's clear we didn't understand exactly what we were doing,” the post reads. “We've been shipping many features over the years aimed at allowing community creators to receive a share of the rewards, and in the past, they've been received well. It's obvious now that this case is different.”
Valve introduced the controversial paid mods program to its Steam Workshop last week, beginning with its roll out to Skyrim's established modding community. One of the first Skyrim mods on sale, a fishing mod, was taken down because it used assets from a second mod by separate creators.
Broken Age: Act 2 Review
The first time I visited Meriloft in Broken Age: Act 1, it was a wondrous experience. Why was this pretentious man dressed as a bird, and why was his rotund son dressed like a nest? How did this village stay afloat in the clouds? Was H'rmony Lightbeard as crooked as he appeared? Why didn't C'rol leave her good-for-nothing husband? There were mysteries to explore, puzzles to solve, and recognizably human--despite their surrealist absurdity--characters to acquaint myself with.
When you return to Meriloft in Broken Age: Act 2--under circumstances that I don't dare spoil for those who haven't completed Act 1 yet--you see this world through a fresh lens. And while the mystery of cloud shoes and Gus and F'ther are lessened, there's enough of a sense of the unknown and new twists to pull you through. Why are familiar faces from another part of the world here? What will they do when they realize who you are? There are new mysteries and new puzzles, and it's a joy again…at first. But you will return to Meriloft to solve puzzle after puzzle after puzzle, and like every area in Broken Age: Act 2, you start to find yourself a little tired of it.
The puzzles that can be completed in your character's self-contained story are almost all more involved than those in the first act.
Broken Age: Act 2 is a classic example of being careful what you wish for. When Act 1 was released early last year, the primary complaints against the game were its short length and overly simple puzzles. Act 2 is a clear response to those complaints on Double Fine's part. The game clocks in at over twice the length of Act 1, while the puzzles are often brain benders in the best Monkey Island/Grim Fandango tradition. But in the transition, Broken Age also succumbs to some of the worst obfuscation and backtracking found in classic point-and-click games.
It's impossible to discuss Broken Age: Act 2's plot in any depth without spoiling the end of Act 1 because Act 2 picks off seconds after the events in Act 1. Let me simply say that the plights of Vella Tartine--the girl who raged against her role as a village sacrifice--and Shay Volta--the boy who rebelled against the endless comfort and routine of his sheltered spaceship existence--find themselves smashed together. If Act 1 felt like two separate stories fused together only at the last second, Act 2 intertwines the lives and destinies of our heroes into one gorgeously realized world.
Broken Age: Act 2 is a classic example of being careful what you wish for.
That sense of cohesion extends past the storytelling. Without wanting to rob any players of the delight of working out some of Broken Age's most devious and intricate puzzles, you can no longer play the game by completing each hero/heroine's story and then tackling the other half the game. Clues are embedded in each character's world that feed back to the other's world. If you are banging your head against your monitor trying to figure out where you went wrong and you're convinced you've exhausted every tool the game's given you so far, as I did on multiple occasions, you're simply missing information you need. Play as the other character for a while, and be observant of some subtle (and occasionally maddeningly subtle) environmental clues for the other hero. The absence of this sort of puzzle-solving in Act 1 makes it a jarring transition in Act 2, but, fortunately, if you fail often enough (as I did), the game clues you in on how to proceed.
Even the puzzles that can be completed in your character's self-contained story are almost all more involved than those in the first act. And they are as outrageously round-about in execution as the game's 90s spiritual ancestors. There's never a Longest Journey "rubber ducky"-level of adventure-game lateral thinking evoked, but you can try to enjoy the mental gymnastics you'll force yourself to go through to figure out how to make a new fancy part for your spaceship. I'll give you a hint: it involves a snake, sand, and a pitch pipe. For those who grew up on the rubber chicken/pulley nonsense of The Secret of Monkey Island, that sort of outrageous "connect the dots" puzzle solving is half the genre's appeal. But even for those who enjoy The Longest Journey and its ilk and are used to obtuse puzzles, Broken Age: Act 2 occasionally becomes too enamored with its own subtle cleverness, and its puzzles feel more obfuscated than fun to solve.
Broken Age succumbs to some of the worst obfuscation and backtracking found in classic point-and-click games.
To top it all off, while you spend 80% of Act 2 in areas you explored in Act 1, you spend a not-insignificant portion of your play time running back and forth across these massively developed areas trying to figure out what random inventory item goes to which character. Meriloft has items you need to solve puzzles in Shellmound, which provides items needed to solve puzzles in the Tomb of the Dead Eye God, which provides items to solve puzzles in Meriloft and the forest, and so on. The game features a handy feature where double-clicking on the edge of a location allows you to travel away from it fast, but that doesn't alleviate the frustration of spending a quarter of the game wandering around aimlessly as you try to figure out who could possibly use the tap Gus was using to juice an orange or how to sneak into a heavily guarded area of the spaceship when the useful shortcuts have been removed.
Despite that, Broken Age weaves an enchanting world. The storybook visuals are as impressive as they were last year. Broken Age is the sort of game I would have fallen in love with as a child, even though I would have lacked the mental skills to solve its puzzles. Combining a storybook aesthetic with watercolors that are strangely reminiscent of Diego Rivera, Broken Age is still one of the most gorgeous games of the 2010s. And the game's narrative finally plays on its Lovecraftian sci-fi premise in fun and unexpected ways, even though the ultimate villain proves to be forgettable compared to Act 1's self-aware reveal. The writing is never Psychonauts-good, but, honestly, what game's writing is?
Broken Age pushes your mental faculties to their limit by the end. On multiple occasions, I became terrified that I wouldn't be able to solve a puzzle and I'd have to resign in disgrace. I pity the poor souls who had to beat Myst without guides in the proto-internet era. For the most part, those moments leave you satisfied with your own intelligence and problem-solving skills. But the moments when a solution just makes you say "Really?" in a frustrated tone and when you wander seemingly without direction occur often enough to rob Broken Age of a sad amount of its magic.
It Follows’ Maika Monroe Joins Independence Day Forever
Maika Monroe (It Follows, The Guest) has officially joined the star-studded cast of Roland Emmerich's Independence Day sequel.
The director confirmed the news via Twitter, writing: "I have another addition to announce. The beautiful & talented Maika Monroe is officially signed on 2 the Independence Day Sequel!" Monroe joins new Independence Day cast members Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Travis Tope, as well as Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, and Brent Spiner, who all starred in the original film.
Game of Thrones: Looking at Cersei’s Power Struggle
Hi guys, welcome to the latest installment of Dragons on the Wall. We've slightly changed our name, but don't worry, we still have plenty to say about Game of Thrones and the third episode of Season 5, "High Sparrow."
This time out, we chat about Sansa's scary new situation, the growing showdown between Margaery and Cersei and the introduction of the High Sparrow himself. Plus, we talk about Arya's growing training, Brienne opening up about her past and more.
We also discuss a big choice Jon Snow made this week and how it mirrors and doesn't mirror something Dany did the week before and in our final section, delving into the books, we talk about a big deviation the show is making with Sansa this year.
Lifetime Making Unauthorized Full House Behind-the Scenes Movie
On the heel's of Netflix's plans to revive the beloved family comedy Full House and the ever growing 90's nostalgia, Lifetime has announced plans for The Unauthorized Full House Story.
THR reports that the cable network has greenlit the new tell-all focusing on the rise of the cast and the pressures of portraying one of America's most beloved families.
The film comes from the same people who brought us last year's The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story, including screenwriter Ron McGee.
The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story, based on former star Dustin Diamond's book Behind the Bell, focused on the drama and scandals on set. Despite lots of hype, it didn't do well in the ratings, drawing only 1.6 million viewers. The Full House tell-all is expected to be less salacious as it explores "the warm bond that grew between the cast."
Watch: Game of Thrones Meets Too Many Cooks
Too Many Cooks -- Adult Swim's 11-minute "sendup" to 80's sitcom intros -- shook the Internet when it aired at 4am on Adult Swim. And like any infectious sitcom intro, it's back, set to footage from Game of Thrones.
Check out Alex Cohen's brilliant Game of Thrones/Too Many Cooks mashup, aptly titled "Too Many Kings", below:
Warning: Spoilers for Game of Thrones follow...
And while you're thinking Too Many Cooks, here's the original masterpiece:
New Trailer for The Flash’s Final S1 Episodes
The CW is building the anticipation for The Flash's season finale by releasing an all-new trailer for this year's final four episodes. Take a look at the trailer, and prepare yourself for some teases, below!
As you can see, there are still more team-ups (Firestorm, woo!) and much more super villainy to be thwarted in the coming weeks...
The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET on The CW. Stay tuned to IGN TV for our review of this week's episode!
Anthony Couto is a writer for IGN. If you’d like to discuss the DC Multiverse or Star Trek, chat with him on Twitter at @AnthCouto or on IGN at TonyCouto.
Mr. Fantastic’s Powers Explained
Reed Richards' powers are getting a tweak in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie.
According to the film's official site, Richards (a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, who is played by Miles Teller) can "warp space around him, and appear to stretch his body to impossible forms and incredible lengths." In other words, his body isn't shifting, the space around him is. This is of course quite different from the comic book version of the character.
The most recent trailer certainly showed Richards' limbs stretching as one expects from Mr. Fantastic, so it seems the altered power will work functionally the same on film. It also showed Dr. Doom, the Human Torch, and the Thing in action, so it's not shying away from some of the more fantastical elements of the comic series.
First Doughnut in Space Completes its Voyage
After being launched into the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere, a doughnut became the first pastry to make a solo mission into space.
Launched by a team of Swedes using a weather balloon, the doughnut reached Earth's stratosphere after a two-hour journey. Technically, the doughnut was still a fair distance away from what is considered "outer space," but it's still a momentous achievement for doughnutkind. The entire voyage was captured on video, which you can watch below.
After completing its journey, the doughnut landed in the water and was rescued by the Swedish Sea Rescue Society. In an end fitting for a hero doughnut, it was eaten by the people who originally launched it into space.