dimanche 31 janvier 2016
Galavant: Season 2 Finale Review
"Will my day ever come?"
This is our review of the second part of Galavant's Season 2 finale. Click here for our review of the first part.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
The first part of Galavant's Season 2 finale ended on a cliffhanger. It's funny because this isn't a show with high stakes so no one in the audience really expected death. Still, the pause in the courtyard gave the story a few beats to breathe and gave the characters time to sink into their reunions. But first, there was a fantastic flashback.
Going back to Richard's youth gave Sonnyboy Skelton the opportunity to come back as young Gareth, and he couldn't be more perfect. He's like a miniature Vinnie Jones. Because of his performance and the dialogue, I spent most of the first minute of the episode laughing so hard I nearly cried. The song balanced that out by being earnest and melancholy with Alfie Simmons and Timothy Omundson both adding depth and emotion with their performances.
Galavant excels when it comes to balance. It's not a show that gets intense or dark, but it does swing back and forth between the laughs and poignant notes in unexpected ways. Silly and profound -- that's Galavant in a nutshell.
And while we're talking about the silliness, I adored Sid showing up with a hodgepodge army with no recognizable faces -- they probably spent the episode's budget on bringing back Weird Al Yankovic. Along with the allure of the D'Dew and Richard's sword, the arrival of the reinforcements reminded me of Lord of the Rings. Albeit, a much more scaled down version of Lord of the Rings.
Though the series is called Galavant, this season was truly all about Richard. He got knocked to the bottom but climbed back up with the help of friends, love, and confidence. His arc over the season has been weirdly inspiring. He's downright courageous by the end of the finale and didn't hesitate to take on Wormwood. And hey, he has a dragon now. I still think the gag was too ridiculous to be humorous, but it paid off. Plus, since it's unlikely Galavant will get renewed, the dragon's especially amusing. There's no way they'd have money to create a convincing CGI dragon; only showing flames and not the dragon could become a running joke if they do come back.
Richard was the hero this time around, but Galavant and Isabella got a lovely happy ending. It was on the bland side, but Joshua Sasse and Karen David's chemistry sold it. They sing together so well; it's a pity they didn't get more duets over the season. They both wanted married life and threw aside most stereotypes about happily every after, so it was a gratifying ending for the couple if not the most exciting one.
Gareth was changed by experiencing love, and it was rather adorable to see him try to help Madalena. Again, I'm glad they remained true to the character and had her wander off to hunt down even more power. She might not be able to come back from the D'Dew, but I like the idea of Gareth and Sid on a quest to help her.
A couple of quick notes on the little things: Having Richard get pulled over for speeding on a horse was brilliant. I also dug the nod to Alan Menken.
The Verdict
The Season 2 finale of Galavant was bittersweet. As the monks pointed out, it's unlikely we'll get another surprise renewal so this could be goodbye. If so, they went out on a high note. The songs were strong from beginning to end, and the performances matched -- particularly Omundson belting it out in the first song. The comedy was on point, too.
Editors' Choice
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Galavant: "Battle of the Three Armies" Review
"The recap song's over. It's time for war."
This is our review of the first part of Galavant's Season 2 finale. Click here for our review of the second part.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
It's a sad Sunday because the Season 2 finale of Galavant is here. However, there is a bright side, and it's called the recap song. I've been looking forward to Ben Presley's Jester catching us up on the events of the season. Honestly, if Galavant was a full 22-episode per season series, I'd happily watch an entire clips show with the Jester narrating in song. It could work. Anyway, Presley killed it and they made it extra funny by putting a sort of "A Knight's Tale" twist on it. I'm not positive if it was intentional, but I couldn't help but think of Paul Bettany's Chaucer in that film.
The battle didn't disappoint. The characters we've been wanting to see reunited finally came back together. "It's a Good Day to Die" was an excellent way to show us the difference in confidence levels of the armies of Hortensia and Valencia. Isabella's had a shaky season, but between last week and this episode, she's showing her stronger side again. It's overdue. While I wish we'd seen more of the take charge Isabella, I'll take what I can get.
Galavant and Isabella straightened things out, and the tone of their reconciliation was just right. Isabella thought Gal deserved those slaps, so it was nice to see she didn't hesitate to give them. They shared a pleasant exchange, but it wasn't overly saccharine and their next kiss still wasn't the world's best one -- and it shouldn't have been, not in the midst of battle. I mean, who has time to floss and use minty mouth wash when there are people to kill?
Joshua Sasse and Timothy Omundson in Galavant
There was another encounter I was looking forward to as much or more than Gal and Isabella: Richard and Gareth. The latter more or less betrayed the former. Think about how much the stab in the back must have affected Richard. Gareth was his only friend before Gal, and Timothy Omundson has definitely played on Richard's sadness over it the season. It's been subtle but present.
Another somewhat subtle thing they did: Richard was much more confident once he was side-by-side with Gareth. He was panicking in battle until Gareth showed up, and then he was collected. Come on. How sweet is that?
Speaking of Gareth. As enjoyable as it's been to see Gareth and Madalena learn about experiencing emotions, I'm glad Madalena stayed true to who she was. It was believable to give her a brief moment of doubt but not surprising at all to see her give into Wormwood's promise of power. By the way, how amusing is it that Wormwood literally twirls his mustache? Madalena's craving for ultimate control is intriguing because it doesn't hit a single note. Her drive and ambition are kind of admirable, actually. It's fitting for her not to dissolve into a puddle of feelings over lying to Gareth.
And before we go, some of the funniest parts of the episode: the dramatic reveals in battle, Richard referencing his beard because the king's beard is a thing in Galavant fandom, and the cliffhanger gag.
The Verdict
The battle brought everyone together, and though it was lovely to finally see Isabella and Galavant reconnect, Gareth and Richard's reunion was even better. This episode didn't quite kill it with the songs -- aside from the amazing opening recap ditty -- but it was packed with both laugh out loud moments and the smaller nods that make you smirk.
Editors' Choice
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samedi 30 janvier 2016
Black Sails: "XX" Review
Storming mad.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Black Sails spared no expense for its twentieth chapter, taking Flint and his devoted crew into the heart of a brutal ship-wrecking tempest. All to avoid capture by Hornigold, with the added tension of Flint's crew actually having been offered full pardons for their crimes, but riding into the storm anyhow because of Flint's sweeping speech of madness. One that Silver even soon regretted getting caught under the spell of.
We've seen sea battles, land battles, and sea-to-land conflict, but this was Sails' first big experience with destructive weather. And it was pretty damn impressive. Watching Flint sacrifice his own men, in that particular regretful-yet-cold manner that we know only he can project. But then also watching him tie himself to the wheel of the ship during the most dangerous part of the journey while his crew took shelter below deck. So there was a lot of give and take here. And seeing Billy react to things helped layer the process even more given what Flint once did to him.
Sails' has had several non-essential characters come and go, but - damn - a good death is a good death. Muldoon's tragic drowning was very effective. From him expressing his gratitude toward Silver, on behalf of himself and the entire crew, to his hopefulness in the face of an agonizing demise, the entire bit with him and Silver down below was very well done. In particular, the way that it worked to craft and shape Silver. A character who's already so changed and altered from who he was at the start of the series.
And now that the ship is lost at sea, with no water and very little food, it'll be time to see how everyone holds up. How quickly the crew's allegiance to Flint will crumble. Or, to that end, the loyalty of Billy and Silver. Rough times lie ahead and I have no real idea how anyone's getting back to Nassau. Or what Flint's haunting dreams mean. The ones of Miranda, the abandoned cabin, the mystery hatch, and the dark figure. I think I could make out her lips saying "Help us" and "Come with me," but I'm just guessing.
Back on Nassau though, things got interesting when Blackbeard finally reunited with Vane. A meeting made more meaningful with us having learned the back history of the both of them during Eleanor's discussion with Woodes. Vane, the former apprentice who betrayed his mentor due to a woman. Eleanor, in fact. In an ultimate power play to get Teach off the island. And I really like how the show is treating Blackbeard's overall presence.
Teach isn't a psychotic thug like Low, but more of an old, influential lover come back to turn new partnerships and allegiances to rot. And while that doesn't mean we won't get to see him throw down at some point and get savage, right now he's playing things like a disapproving professor. Still, his arrival was enough to make Jack instantly reconsider Max's plan to exchange a lot of the gold for easier to hide, and transport, materials and goods.
The Verdict
Black Sails gave us one hell of a ride in its second episode of the season. A big stunt spectacular featuring a ton of action, harsh water, crippling tragedy, and even a wide FX shot of several ocean tornados/waterspouts. All possibly even feeding into the old legends and myths about the Bermuda Triangle (as the crew found themselves somewhere in the Sargasso at the end).
Editors' Choice
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The 9 Best Anime of 2015
2015 had a few gripping dramas and tons of amazing action.
There were many contenders, but the best anime of 2015 pulled at our heartstrings, amazed us with impossible action, and brought forth unforgettable characters. The following nine anime excelled in animation and storytelling and should absolutely be on your watchlist.
To qualify for this year’s list, the anime had to complete its season in 2015. So while Mr. Osomatsu and Haikyuu!! 2 started in 2015, their current season continue into 2016 and are not eligible for this list.
Blood Blockade Battlefront
The imaginative world of Blood Blockade Battlefront takes place in New York City, but the city’s role of a melting pot is amplified tenfold when demons, monsters and otherworldly beings are thrown into the mix after a mysterious portal opens. Though most of the population has assimilated well, the secret, superhuman organization Libra works in the shadows to keep peace in the city. This anime adaption takes on the core characteristics from the manga and blends the into a great original story.
Each episode of Blood Blockade Battlefront is always a joy to watch with its lovable characters, beautifully animated fights, and monsters of the week. Even better is Blood Blockade Battlefront’s wild pacing, that while still fun, is also always careful to slowly and precisely drip in the overarching plot.
Available on Hulu and Funimation
Death Parade
Death Parade’s genius lies in a single question: how do you judge the dead? The show answers by taking us to a strange underworld bar where emotionless beings known as Arbiters determine the fate of human souls by forcing them to play death games. These games put participants under extreme duress, which reveals the darkness hidden inside them via fragmented memories.
Death Parade is an emotional rollercoaster ride: we see heartbreaking flashbacks of an abusive mother taking her anger out on a young child, and a husband and wife’s perfect marriage unravel under the suspicion of adultery. We also get to see more humorous moments, like when a ditzy fangirl finally meets her boy band idol during a deadly (and hilariously awkward) game of Twister. It’s a riveting show that will leave you wondering about the sort of life you lead and where you’ll end up when it’s over.
Available on Funimation and Hulu
Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma
Consistently engaging and entertaining, Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma takes the high-stakes shounen battle trope and refines it. Main character and cooking prodigy Soma aims to be number one (a mainstay of shounen anime) at his extremely prestigious cooking school. Food Wars nails that competitive intensity, and it takes the time to develop even its most minor characters so we have a reason to care about their successes and failures. It also does fan service the right way; characters’ over-the-top reactions to food make sense when that food is so beautifully animated and enthusiastically presented.
Available on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Gatchaman Crowds Insight
It was almost scary seeing how Gatchaman Crowds: Insight so well reflects today’s cultural fascination with social media and technology. This second season comes nearly two years after the great first season, and while it’s slow to approach its main themes, it’s grounded in brilliance. We see the Gatchaman once again questioning what it means to be a hero and how social media affects society. The Gatchaman team, especially Hajime, are just as great as they were in the first season, and the new characters, though at first seem a bit dull, are crafted into great personifications of this season’s complex themes.
Available on Hulu and Crunchyroll
My Love Story
Romance anime My Love Story was a joy from beginning to end. Protagonist Takeo Gouda is unconventional for the genre; he’s a tall, bulky, Yakuza-looking (but totally sweet and wonderful) guy who hasn’t had any luck with girls. Then he meets and starts dating Rinko Yamato, and the absolute adorableness begins! My Love Story’s strong suit is in balancing the romance with humor, a little bit of drama, and great side characters. It’s never too sweet or mushy to handle and consistently makes us smile. It also uses Takeo and Yamato’s relationship as a background for exploring different kinds of love, as opposed to making the entire story about how they’re dating. It’s a heartfelt, charming show that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Available on Hulu and Crunchyroll
One-Punch Man
We love One-Punch Man for how it turns the most common Shounen trope on its head. Instead of struggling to become the best in the world, salaryman-turned-superhero Saitama struggles to find a worthy opponent in battle. His entire city is overrun with all sorts of bizarre monsters, yet none of them can withstand a single punch from him. Ironically, the city refuses to acknowledge him as a true hero until he can pass a test and prove himself to be S Class material. Thus begins Saitama’s hilarious journey to officially be the best. One Punch Man is a great mix of action and comedy, supported by a cast of original (see: weird) characters and solid animation quality.
School-Live!
At first glance, this very moe anime seems silly; cute girls live in a school and form a club to fight off zombies. The protagonist Yuki is the definition of a "genki" girl, or a female character who is overly cheerful and energetic, so it's easy to write this off as another cutesy machine created to for figures and other products that could sell well. However, we quickly learned that her energy creates a great contrast for the atmosphere she survives in with her few friends. This is one of the few shows that had members of the IGN office running to each other to discuss and analyze every episode. Its beautiful twists and an incredible attention to detail make it an anime not easily forgotten.
Available on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Shirobako looks like a cutesy moe anime, but it's grounded in realistic relationships as it explores the behind-the-scenes of the anime industry. From production to animation to voice acting, Shirobako shows us precisely what goes into making our favorite anime while exploring the lives of five friends from high school. Once enthusiastic about the industry, the girls enter the workforce and discover that it's not as easy or as fun as it once seemed. Workplace problems are tense without being overly dramatic, and seeing the girls grapple with their identities while remaining hopeful and determined is relatable and engaging. Not only is Shirobako a must-watch for anime fans curious about how the industry works, it's also a sweet, heartfelt show with characters worth connecting with.
Available on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Your Lie in April
Passion and fear collide in the dramatic Your Lie in April, one of the few anime that actually hurts to binge watch. This journey of loss and acceptance will evoke even a few tears from the coldest person. Prodigy pianist Kousei Arima has given up playing after his mother passes away from illness, but finds himself drawn back to the piano after meeting a wonderful violinist, Kaori Miyazono. These two build a bond that's wonderfully visualized through their touching duets, but their constant bickering is just as charming. Though Your Lie in April relies on heavy emotions that can be hard to stomach, it's still balanced well enough to give the us time to love and laugh with the well written characters.
Available on Crunchyroll and Hulu
What were your favorite anime from 2015? What are you watching in 2016? Let us know in the comments below. For more on anime, be sure to check out IGN Anime Club.
Miranda Sanchez is an Associate Editor and an IGN Anime Club host. You can check out her ramblings about anime and cats on Twitter. Kallie Plagge is a host of IGN Anime Club and is IGN's resident Poké Kid. Follow her on Twitter @inkydojikko for cute things, FPS adventures, and more. Meghan Sullivan is one of IGN's foremost RPG experts. Talk JRPGs and WWE with her on Twitter at @Meghan_IGN.
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vendredi 29 janvier 2016
Why a Smash Game at NX's Launch Makes Sense
IGN's Nintendo show is back!
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Supercharge your podcast feed with Nintendo Voice Chat. Art by Pandamusk.
IGN's Nintendo show is back with another episode! This week, Meghan Sullivan joins host Jose Otero, Brian Altano, and Peer Schneider to talk about Final Fantasy Explorers and Linkle in Hyrule Warriors. Then, after the break, the core trio tackles the rumor of a Smash NX launch title (made by Namco) and why we're OK with the changes coming to Fire Emblem Fates in the West.
New to NVC? Catch up on the last four episodes:
Leave Us Feedback
Please let us know what you think of the show in the comments or email us at the address below. Do you have a great idea or topic for a future episode of Nintendo Voice Chat? Email us: nvc@ign.com.
Jose Otero is an Editor at IGN and host of Nintendo Voice Chat. You can follow him on Twitter.
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The People v. O.J. Simpson: Series Premiere Review
FX's new anthology series, American Crime Story, is off to a stellar start.
It's telling that the opening scene of The People v. O.J. Simpson, the first season of FX's new American Crime Story anthology series, doesn't directly relate to the O.J. Simpson trial. Instead, it's news footage of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, the six-day fallout of the acquittal of the police officers who beat Rodney King, that sets the tone for the story being told.
In that way, it's especially fitting that The People v. O.J. Simpson debut in 2016, a time when racial tensions are again especially high in the United States. As the creators of the series explained recently, their intent with this reexamination of O.J. Simpson's trial wasn't to determine whether he was guilty or innocent, but to strive to explain why the case wasn't an easy win for the prosecution.
Cuba Gooding Jr. and Joseph Butler in The People v. OJ Simpson
After watching the first six episodes of The People v. O.J. Simpson's 10-episode arc, it's clear that creators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt), as well as producers Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk (American Horror Story) and Brad Simpson, have delivered on that intent. Each episode explores a various facet of the case -- from the Bronco chase to Johnnie Cochran's ascension in the defense team to the hubbub over Marcia Clark's perm -- in an effort to showcase the way many elements outside of the trial of O.J. Simpson played a role in its outcome.
The roots of those issues are integral to the series' first episode, "From the Ashes of Tragedy," which premieres Tuesday, February 2nd. After the L.A. Riots prologue, The People v. O.J. Simpson's premiere plays out the night Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were found murdered, and explores the immediate aftermath of that. The depiction of the night of the murder sets up a number of key moments that are later called into question -- the glove, that O.J. didn't ask how Nicole died when the police alerted him of her death, etc. -- later in the series.
Sarah Paulson and Christian Clemenson on The People v. OJ Simpson
The night of the murder plays through in real time until the mysterious glove is found, at which point the police on site determine "this is a crime scene." From there, "From the Ashes of Tragedy" establishes each of its key players: O.J. Simpson (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who is clearly in a spiraling emotional state throughout the entire episode; District Attorney prosecutor Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson), who is juggling a case that seems like a slam dunk with divorce proceedings in her personal life; O.J.'s best friend and moral compass Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer); Robert Shapiro (John Travolta), who comes in to lead O.J.'s defense team; and Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance), the lawyer who became integral to O.J.'s eventual "not guilty" ruling but who at this point is staying away from a case that is clearly "a loser."
Though the casting of people like Gooding as Simpson and Schwimmer as Kardashian might not seem like an immediate fit, each of the casting decisions in this series are fully validated by the end of the first episode. Like The People v. O.J. Simpson's creators and writers, Alexander and Karaszewski, it's clear that each of the members of the cast understood the weight and significance of the story they were telling, and that's reflected in their performances. American Crime Story isn't a documentary, but it also isn't slipping far into fiction; the primary source of information being drawn upon is Jeffrey Toobin's The Run of His Life: The People v. OJ Simpson, and each of the key cast members read the books their real-life characters wrote about the case and kept it on hand for reference throughout filming.
David Schwimmer and John Travolta on The People v. OJ Simpson
But The People v. O.J. Simpson is about more than just O.J.'s story; it's about how issues such as race and celebrity made the case be about more than just murder, and that's a situation that still feels culturally relevant more than two decades later. Beyond the Rodney King framing, those subjects come through in the interaction between Cochran and District Attorney prosecutor Christopher Darden (Sterling K. Brown), who Cochran challenges to "choose a side" on the subject of race. "The world needs more black men willing to make a difference," he says. This comes into play later in the season, especially as Cochran and Darden find themselves on the opposite sides of the courtroom.
The Verdict
The writing and acting of the series is phenomenal in shading in the grey, and that's highlighted in Gooding's depiction of O.J. Many people will bring to the show whether they think he is guilty or innocent, and Gooding specifically doesn't play into either expectation. The People v. O.J. Simpson isn't out to slap a guilty verdict on him, but instead continue the public's fascination with true crime and failures in the judicial system, and from the start it excels at that. It only helps that it's innately watchable and addictive.
Editors' Choice
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Bombshell Review
The spiritual Duchess of Nukem makes her debut in a mostly competent, lite action-RPG.
Bombshell throws you face-first into an absurd sci-fi quest to save the President of the United States, fronted by a gritty, ex-military, hardass alien hunter sporting a metal arm and prominent cleavage. It plays out exactly how that premise would lead you to expect. Coming from the publishers of Duke Nukem and the developers of 2013’s Rise of the Triad reboot, it drips exactly the same kind of dudebro (or dude-sis, in this case?) self-aware ridiculousness as a Duke or a Serious Sam game. It makes no apologies for its story’s shortcomings, preferring to focus on letting you atomize extraterrestrials in a variety of over-the-top ways.
Watch the launch trailer above.
While Bombshell is billed as an action RPG, the way you move and fight as Shelly has much more in common with twin-stick shooters than with Diablo. And the sticks are the way to go; I had a much better time after abandoning the barely workable mouse/keyboard controls and plugging in my trusty 360 pad to maneuver the tough-as-nails heroine through planet after enemy-filled planet.
“
The only thing that breaks the flow of combat are the scripted execution moves.
Movement and shooting feel fluid and responsive, so even certain levels that tried to do their best impression of a platformer (a proposition that could have easily ended in disaster) were kept from feeling outright irritating by a competent jump button and good collision detection. The only thing that breaks that flow are the scripted execution moves that’re available on some enemies. When initiated, they freeze the controls, zoom in, and force you to wait several seconds for a gory fatality animation to play out. I stopped using them altogether only a few levels in.
Baby Steps
Actual RPG mechanics are thin on the ground, at least in terms of their impact on combat. You can upgrade a few boring stats like health and armor, as well as modify weapons in simple, unexciting ways. It wasn’t until the late game – about 12 hours into the 15-hour campaign – that I felt these upgrades were having a real impact, because the enemies’ health and damage scale up faster than your firepower and survivability does.
Unlocking a new type of gun felt like much more of a game-changer than incrementally improving the stuff I already had. From staples like the rocket launcher, shotgun, and flamethrower to a frighteningly potent death laser, each armament is very different from the last and has a tactical niche against certain enemy types. Bigger brutes tend to go down faster to the full-auto “maxigun”, swarms of little guys are vulnerable to explosives, and medium-sized groups of mid-tier enemies are best dealt with by spraying napalm and letting the ongoing fire damage do most of the work. Selectable “sidegrade” alt-fire modes gave me at least a small sense of character customization, such as turning my laser rifle into a continuous fan of lightning that would make Emperor Palpatine proud.
“
Jokes seem like they were chosen based on how many people in the writers’ room groaned.
Shelly, or “Bombshell” herself is as absurd an action-movie stereotype as you’ll find in the storied history of shooter protagonists. She delivers line after line with the utmost earnestness, and most seem like they were chosen based on how many people in the writers’ room groaned at them during a pitch meeting. When rescuing the President of the United States (a young blonde woman with an eyepatch who herself, at one point, attempts to garrote an alien with a severed spinal cord), Shelly declares without a drop of irony, “It’s time to paint this White House red!” Among her regular (and annoyingly repetitive, by the end) catchphrases are gems like “How many aliens does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Hehe… none. They’re all dead!” I ultimately enjoyed this attitude, even though it lacked the witty edge and cleverness of something like Saints Row IV, which pulls off essentially the same schtick in a much more clever and less predictable way.
Touring The Scene
The environments I explored, fought through, and left craters in were a major highlight. Shelly visits three distinct alien worlds that complement the carnage with gorgeous vistas, strong personality, interesting elements of verticality for a top-down game, and uncommon attention to detail. The enemies that populate each area are also overflowing with in-your-face visual elements and stylistic flair. My personal favorite was a race of space-zombie ice vikings (yes, all four of those descriptors are completely true), living on a frigid world that managed to be both whimsically bright and menacingly sepulchral at the same time.
Doing battle with these enemies can be a lot of fun, but it’s not without some stumbling blocks. The scarcity of ammo means that, even if I played conservatively, I usually didn’t have the option to use the best gun for a given situation — which was irritating, considering how specialized most of them are. Trying to deal with heavily-armored alien lieutenants when all you have left is a spread-firing flak gun is an exercise in ballistic frustration. I was usually stuck with whichever boomstick I had bullets left for, and was all too often restricted to the weak, infinite-use ion cannon because I was out of ammo for everything else. This contributed to the Normal difficulty’s tendency to spike dramatically, while otherwise hovering just above what I’d describe as “cake walk” for the most part.
Weakest of all are the boss battles, which often eat all the ammo for your decent guns and leave you with a whole phase of the fight left to finish, plinking away with ion shots long enough that the protagonist herself actually starts commenting on how long you’re taking to kill the behemoth before you. Nearly every boss can be whittled away with exploits like getting them hung up on the geometry (something I was not actively trying to do, but ended up happening anyway). That actually became necessary for me to progress in one case, due to the aforementioned ammo scarcity issue.
The bosses are very cool looking, though, from an alien leviathan that looks like a sandworm from Dune after listening to a lot of Iron Maiden, to an ancient, necromantic barbarian giant that looks like one of the draugr from Skyrim after listening to a lot of Iron Maiden. Their mechanics are also diverse enough that I didn’t feel like I was fighting the same, hulking, insane sack of hit points twice. The aforementioned worm is stationary, forcing you to move around a platform and avoid its attacks, while the final boss is extremely mobile and engages you in an arena that borders on bullet-hell levels of environmental hazard.
The Verdict
Bombshell is a fast-paced, energetic, deliberately absurd action shooter that’s mostly competent at everything it tries to do. Stunningly crafted, downright epic environments and tight, responsive gamepad controls steal the show. But it certainly doesn’t pull off anything innovative or revolutionary, and the whole experience is dragged down by spiky difficulty, half-baked RPG mechanics, and poorly constructed (though varied) boss battles.
Editors' Choice
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Overclocked: The Steam VR Spectacular
Killer apps, big problem.
Mitch Dyer played 12 Steam VR games on the HTC Vive, and Dan Stapleton and Marty Sliva want to know all about it. The PC crew discusses the biggest problems with the spectacular technology, as well as which games stand out among the crowd -- including a killer Portal-inspired spy thriller that could be the killer app for VR believers.
New to IGN Overclocked? Check out our first 10 episodes.
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Batman the Executioner and Thor 3 Rumors
The Oscars' best picture race shakeup, the Academy's diversity changes --and Joseph Fiennes cast as Michael Jackson?!
Download Keepin' it Reel, Episode 314!
Welcome back to Keepin' It Reel, the IGN show where Jim Vejvoda and Terri Schwartz bring you the latest genre movie news.
This week's topics include news and (some SPOILERSH) rumors on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, Joseph Fiennes being cast as Michael Jackson, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Deadpool, The Big Short's Oscar hopes, and the Academy's rules overhaul to foster diversity.
New to Keepin' it Reel? Catch up on the last five episodes:
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9 High Concept Movies That Probably Shouldn't Exist
Monkeys with special skills.
Daniel Radcliffe latest turn is as a corpse that farts. So we thought this was a good opportunity to discuss other high-concept movies that probably shouldn't exist. Mmmm... a farting corpse is high-concept, right?
We also talk about Liam Neeson and snow monkeys, take on the Keyboard Countdown and we announce the podcast is going North of the border for the second year running. You can find out how to attend our special Glasgow podcast right here.
IGN UK Podcast #316: 9 High Concept Movies That Probably Shouldn't Exist
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UK Deals - Call of Duty Black Ops III for £20
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2 Xbox One games for £50, PS4 with Star Wars Battlefront under £250, Tom Clancy's The Division under £23, Xbox Live for under £1, PS4 controller for less than £34 and more!jeudi 28 janvier 2016
The 100: "Wanheda: Part Two" Review
Heda the Class.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Lexa’s back! Lexa’s back! And she needs Clarke!
Oh, wait, Clarke just spit in her face and screamed at her. Well, you know, these two crazy kids do have some stuff to work out, after all.
As cool as it was to see Lexa again, I will go a bit outside the show to say I wish it had been a better kept secret that this is when she would be back and not so telegraphed by aspects that weren’t actually part of the storyline. I saw this episode several weeks back, long before so much info had been released, and the fact that Roan was not taking Clarke to the Ice Nation, but to Lexa, played as a nice surprise. But with it firmly being known at this point that Lexa was back in the second episode (and if you didn’t know going in, Alycia Debnam-Carey’s name in the guest list would have let you know), it probably was a lot easier for people to suspect what might be happening as we reached the final moments and we still hadn’t seen her – and I really hate that the preview for this episode included Clarke screaming her big (cool!) line, “You wanted the Commander of Death, you got her!,” considering it was her final line of the entire episode. It reminds me of when Showtime’s Dexter previews got super spoilery and I would purposely stop watching them. Which is to say… don’t watch the previews, people!
While Lexa’s return no doubt (and understandably) has Twitter tweeting and Tumblr tumbling, I was also very excited to see this episode give us something truly surprising… a storyline for Monty!! The reveal of Monty's mom, Hannah, was a suitably big "What?!" moment, and it was good, after all this time, to see perennial buddy Monty get to deal with his own issues and loss here, as he discovered his father had died.
Along with Hannah, we also met Pike (Michael Beach, quickly bringing gravitas to the role), who adds another complication, as the joy over finding more survivors from the Ark is balanced by the fact that these people really hate Grounders and clearly aren’t making any distinctions between the Ice Nation and anyone else. It's another nice way for The 100 to create conflict, even in the midst of a sign of hope.
This was a standout episode for Devon Bostick, who did excellent work as the oh-so broken Jasper. The moment when he took Abby’s warning to not follow in Finn’s footsteps and twisted it with “Your daughter killed him too” was quite an effective line. Even more impactful was seeing Jasper completely break down inside Mount Weather, looking at the painting Maya loved. It was also a great touch to have Octavia be the one there to comfort him too, giving these two their first big moment together since the long-gone Season 1 days when he was crushing on her.
[I will say though Abby insisting Jasper accompany them to Mount Weather was shaky. There were reasons she could have, including feeling he needed to do this to get past his pain and/or simply needing extra help getting Nyko from Arkadia to Mount Weather, but none of it was articulated, and it played as a odd moment as a result, given it was in the midst of the "We have to save Nyko" crisis.]
While the City of Light storyline is currently off on its own, it continues to be engaging. We actually saw the City of Light here in a bigger way, and learned that, apparently, those who are followers of Alie’s continue on (and leave their physical deformities behind), even after death. Murphy deciding to bail on Jaha was certainly understandable and Richard Harmon and Luisa D'Oliveira play well off each other – with D'Oliveira making Emori quite likable, despite her duplicitous and sometimes just not so smart ways (Seriously, trying to rob the freaky-looking giant guy when he’s siting right there? Come on, Emori!).
On an episode that gave us a “Clexa” reunion, there was plenty for the “Bellarke” contingent to love as well, as Bellamy was incredibly determined to rescue Clarke – even sneaking off on his own and disguising himself amongst the Grounders to do it. Roan so effortlessly stopping him though (another leg wound on a show filled with them!) was a good way to once more show his abilities -- and willingness to show mercy, since he spared Bellamy -- after he took out those Ice Nation guys earlier, and Zach McGowan is another great fit on this show.
It was also a cool reveal finding out Roan is the Prince of the Ice Nation, who apparently has been banished or left them – but believes, in some roundabout way, that his deal with Lexa can get him back by his mother’s side.
The Verdict
We're just two episodes in and Season 3 of The 100 has been jam-packed, with a ton going on for just about every character. It's a lot to juggle, but so far, so good, as this episode managed to move several players around on the board and give Clarke notable encounters with everyone from her captor, Roan, to (briefly) her would-be rescuer, Bellamy, to her long-awaited reunion with Lexa.
Meanwhile, Mount Weather came back into the story, as Abby decided to finally officially begin using the place, while we saw both Pike (simply from hearing about it) wanting to use it too, while Lincoln seemed to think no good could come of it.
On the bright side, at least someone cleaned out all the corpses!
Editors' Choice
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DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Episode 2 Review
The Legends are stranded in 1975.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
The first episode of DC's Legends of Tomorrow was an enjoyable experience, even if it was clear the latest addition to The CW's DC lineup had some room to improve. What surprised me most about the second part of the pilot is just how quickly the show is moving to address those early flaws. If you weren't already sold on this new series, this week's episode should clinch the deal.
It definitely helps that "Pilot, Part 1" got most of the early setup and exposition out of the way. This follow-up chapter had more room to dig into thew newly assembled team and exploit the time-travel premise to its full potential. The scale of this adventure was a bit smaller in the sense that the Legends spent the entire episode stuck in 1975. No futuristic sci-fi warfare this week. Even so, there was plenty of spectacle to be had thanks to two flashy battle sequences that book-ended the conflict. The first battle sequence this week was especially impressive, what with all the panning and slow-mo fighting and energy blasts. Director Glen Winter deserves a lot of credit for giving these first two episodes a cinematic, Hollywood-caliber vibe.
That spectacle was all well and good, but as with The Flash and Arrow, it's the character dynamics that are the real meat of the show. The first episode hit on the crucial element that's going to distinguish Legends of Tomorrow from its sister series. This isn't a team of heroes. It's a group of miscreants and losers that are doomed to be forgotten after they die. Every character on the show is lonely and emotionally damaged in some way. This episode was great about exploiting that element and playing these characters against one another in both comedic and dramatic ways. Arthur Darvill's Rip Hunter played a very small role compared to the premiere, but the rest of the group had plenty of time to shine.
Captain Cold and Heat Wave might have been the MVPs this week. From the moment Wentworth Miller sauntered up to the warehouse guard masquerading as the world's most affected terrorist leader, I was hooked. He clicked in the role in a way he never did on The Flash. Miller and Purcell both have a very precise, deliberate way of playing their characters, and that approach seems to work better as part of this large ensemble cast rather than when Cold and Heat Wave are the central antagonists. This episode got a lot of mileage out of pairing Cold and Heat Wave with Ray Palmer and letting the goody-goody billionaire genius butt heads with two Central City roughnecks. Along the way, there was a clear sense that Cold does crave more out of his life, and that maybe the idea of becoming a legend does hold some appeal for him.
Running alongside that team-up, this episode focused a lot of attention on Professor Stein venturing off with Jax and Sara and encountering his younger self circa-1975. Here the show essentially became "Back to the Future with superheroes." With the subplot about Stein trying to save his marriage and watching his wedding ring disappear, it's obvious there's a lot of love for the BttF franchise on this show. Everything about the Stein subplot was hilarious, whether it was the younger Stein flirting with Sara or the elder Stein pining for the days when he still had thick, luxurious hair. Actor Graeme McComb did a solid job in the role of young Stein. The physical resemblance was iffy, at best, but McComb focused so much on nailing the cadence of Victor Garber's speech patterns that it didn't really matter.
This subplot had the added benefit of addressing some of my criticisms from last week. It was nice to see Stein cop to the fact that he basically kidnapped Jax and didn't allow his partner any say in whether Team Firestorm would help out Rip Hunter in his quest. Jax got the belated opportunity to make his own choice and continue his character arc from The Flash. We also got a reminder that Stein does genuinely love his wife, even if he didn't seem to mind jumping into the Waverider and embarking on a long-term adventure without warning her beforehand.
Clearly, it was Hawkman and Hawkgirl who had the biggest shakeup this week. No sooner did Carter help Kendra remember a key piece oft their past and rediscover her love for him that Carter was killed in battle with Vandal Savage. I honestly didn't expect any major casualties this early into the game. And on some level, it might have been nice to see the writers explore the "Just because we're destined to be together doesn't mean I'll automatically fall in love with you" angle a little longer before taking Hawkman off the board. Still, there's a compelling tragedy to the idea that Kendra lost her eternal lover mere moments after falling back in love with him. She's now lost the man she never knew she loved and the son she never knew she had within a matter of hours. She's going to have a very interesting character arc this season. And after spending most of her screen time with Carter in these two episodes, it'll be fun to see Kendra butt heads with the rest of the team in future episodes.
You can argue that Hawkman is an easy sacrifice for the writers to make. They can easily send the team farther into the 21st Century to pick up the next reincarnation of Hawkman and plug that hole. But is it really going to be that simple? What happens when only one of the two is killed by Savage? Does Kendra have to die too so her lover can be reborn? And are there consequences to Hawkman dying while displaced from his normal time period? This show has some pretty rigidly defined rules about what our heroes can and can't do with time travel. Hawkman's death could easily feed into that.
This episode addressed most of the flaws with the premiere, but not all. Vandal Savage is still very much the weak link of the show. In the recent Flash/Arrow crossover it seemed the problem was due, at least in part, to a lack of material for Savage. He didn't have the opportunity to own the screen in the way villains like reverse-Flash, Deathstroke and Damien Darhk so often do whenever they appear. But at this point, it seems Casper Crump's underwhelming performance is the real culprit. This episode delved deeper into Savage's history and emphasized his unrequited love for Chay-Ara, and yet the villain still lacks the charisma he needs to be the driving force of the conflict. Crump's heavy accent and lack of screen presence really aren't doing Vandal Savage any favors. The fact that Damien Darhk had a brief appearance and practically stole the show from Savage didn't help.
The Verdict
Legends of Tomorrow started off pretty well and only got better in its second episode. The second half of the pilot addressed some of the problems of the first when it came to characterization, though Casper Crump's Vandal Savage remains a weak link among the main cast. Still, the immensely enjoyable character team-ups and the epic superhero spectacle went along way towards cementing Legends of Tomorrow as a worthy addition to The CW's DC lineup.
Editors' Choice
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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Review
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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a lot of Victorian London and a lot of zombies, and often those two sides work great together.Brandon Routh on how The Flash Could Impact Legends of Tomorrow:
The actor on what Ray thinks of his teammates, potential Flash/Arrow crossovers and more.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow continues tonight with the second hour of its two-part premiere, as we see more of the first adventures involving the eclectic, time-traveling superhero team.
On a visit to the set of the show, I spoke to Brandon Routh about how Ray Palmer/The Atom is fitting in on the team, Ray’s growing skills in combat, the threat of Vandal Savage, the potential for crossovers with The Flash and Arrow and more.
I should note this interview was done before the show debuted, and Routh was protecting a bit of information about Ray and Martin Stein (Victor Garber) having actually known each other previously.
Check out the top of the page for a video version of this interview.
IGN: What does Ray make of his teammates?
Brandon Routh: I think Ray is certainly wary of Rory and Snart to begin with.
IGN: Understandably.
Routh: Understandably! He kind of knows Sara but not really and everybody else is new to him. He’s heard of Professor Stein and what not. But he’s eager, so he kind of just rolls with it, I think is just his mindset with the whole thing.
Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer in Legends of Tomorrow.
IGN: Let me address the facial situation. [Editor's Note: Routh had come from set with makeup on giving Ray some notable wounds] Suffice to say there’s a fair amount of action on this show and Ray maybe didn’t come out so great from one encounter?
Routh: Yeah, you know, against all odds. He’s still alive, thankfully! But we definitely have a lot of fighting, a lot of explosions. You get roughed up every once in awhile.
IGN: How is Ray doing as far as his skill set? When he was introduced on Arrow he had the suit but it was mostly a flying suit and strength. You just introduced the whole shape- changing concept. He invented this stuff but is there still a learning curve as far as what he’s able to do with his abilities?
Routh: I think we’re ramping up the learning process that kind of happened from the transition from Arrow to here. I’m sure there will be things done down the road. We haven’t run into any issues so far, with storyline with that. His fighting ability has definitely been increased from all his activity, learning and working with Green Arrow. Physical combat, hand to hand combat, he’s leveled up, although instances like [these wounds] can happen. There’s definitely been a lot of fun, miniaturization stuff done so far. But there’s not… You will see, when everybody gets to see the show, that it paces so quickly that a lot of things happen because they have to happen and questions are asked later and explanations are made later.
IGN: Can you talk about the threat of Vandal Savage? The team is brought together because of this guy, so it seems safe to assume he’s a pretty heavy hitter. Are they quickly learning just how much of a threat he poses?
Routh: Definitely. He’s very wily and very strategic. He’s thought his plan out generations and generations ahead, as he’s time travelling. So we’re really playing catch up a lot of the time. When we’re not messing up and having to fix our mistakes, we’re having to play catch up even further with him. And sometimes we’re causing big mistakes that he can capitalize on because he’s adapting to what’s happening in the moment better than we are sometimes. His villainous ways are finely crafted over thousands of years of effort so he’s definitely a big time opponent for us and is a challenge.
IGN: This is a very ambitious thing going on here as far as this is the third show in this shared universe. There’s already been crossovers. A lot of the team members are being introduced out of this big crossover between the other shows. Moving forward, are you having fun with just how big of a reach you have and the fact that you can maybe pluck some characters here and there and touch upon what’s been established in Flash and Arrow?
Routh: Yeah, the whole thing is very exciting, creating the world and now seeing Earth 2 on Flash and everything that’s bringing into their storyline. I’m sure that’ll have impact on us as we are travelling the timeline and they are crossing worlds. It’s all going to interplay. I’m sure they have big plans to come. We haven’t had as much of that thus far, because we had the Flash/Arrow crossovers, but we’ve been mostly keeping to our show, so far. But I think it’s all really building and building toward those big events…. Well, even bigger events, I would guess. I look forward to it because I’ve been on both shows and I love working with all those actors so I look forward to having them be aboard our project as well more.
IGN: You have long work days and there’s a technical side to everything but are there moments that you’re all there costumed up that you look around and go “This is all pretty cool, huh?”
Routh: Definitely. And I do my best to have those moments more often than not. You do get kind of in your head about just getting the work done, but It’s a pretty amazing, unique experience, this life. And having played two super heroes and getting suited up into robotic armor, there are very, very few people that have had that experience and none the experience I’ve had. One of the ways that is brought home and really kind of settles in is when you meet fans at conventions or other events where people might be around. You’re not just in this dark studio putting stuff on camera but it really affects people and it’s doing something. It’s a very cool form of entertainment.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow airs Thursdays at 8:00pm ET/PT on the CW.
Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheEricGoldman, IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at http://ift.tt/LQFqjj.
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Game Scoop!: What Are the Best SEGA Games?
The Valkyria Chronicles remaster has us wandering down SEGA lane.
Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game talk show. This week we're discussing the best SEGA games, a dangerous new golf game, Mighty No. 9, and much more. Watch the video above or download the podcast below.
Download Game Scoop! Episode 375
Or subscribe in iTunes and never miss an episode.
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