Preacher: "Pig" Review

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Herr Starr climbs his way to the top.

By Jesse Schedeen

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

Last week's "Sokosha" represented a high point for Preacher's second season as it chronicled the dramatic final showdown (for now, anyway) between Jesse Custer and the Saint of Killers. Despite that boost in quality, it was difficult to know what to expect from this follow-up chapter. Where does the season go now that the Saint has been swept off the board? Can Preacher keep this newfound momentum going, or will the show fall into another rut as the writers slowly build up the next overarching conflict?

Luckily, it seems as though they recognized the need to immediately replace one good villain with another. With the Saint currently buried in a swamp, the time has finally come for Herr Starr (The Crown's Pip Torrens) to step up and take his place. Starr certainly had zero trouble making a strong impression in his first major appearance. He's a very different breed of villain than the Saint - with a very eccentric and darkly comic personality - but no less ruthless or bloodthirsty. Torrens immediately made the most of his role here. It would be easy to go big and flamboyant with this character, but Torrens kept things quiet and restrained instead. There's a very matter-of-fact quality to Starr's speech and general body language, but also a slight hint of the absurd to his mannerisms and interactions with others. The show seems to have the right handle on this character, one who's as ridiculous and pathetic as he is terrifying and inhuman.

The series wasted no time before giving us the full-blown origin story of Herr Starr, exploring how he was recruited by the Grail and rose through the ranks with superhuman speed. This turned out to be a nice, elegant way of establishing the nature of The Grail itself, as the flashback-era Starr was just as unfamiliar with the organization as the viewer. The boot camp/recruitment drive was a lot of fun to watch, particularly as it allowed Starr to flaunt his peculiar sexuality and his unorthodox ways of winning. That storyline ended on a strong note, too ,as we learned more about the Grail's true purpose and saw Starr promote himself from newbie recruit to leader of the Samson Unit in a matter of minutes.

From one preacher to another.

In short, it looks like Starr will have no trouble filling the void left by the Saint. And with any luck, we might see both villains sharing the stage before long. But the other story threads back in New Orleans didn't disappoint, either. All three of our heroes are dealing with some pretty compelling drama in the aftermath of their showdown with the Saint. Jesse continues to question himself and the righteousness of his quest now that he's sacrificed a portion of his soul. That's just the sort of unexpected wrinkle he really needed to offset his overconfident, self-absorbed behavior this season. No matter how much he tries to reassure himself he did the right thing, Jesse is haunted by the thought that he may be forever tainted by his bond with the Saint.

Tulip is arguably faring even worse, suffering from a nasty case of PTSD following her near-death experience. Again, it's a fitting direction for her character given how much Tulip's portrayal has emphasized her fearless swagger. Ruth Negga delivered an even stronger performance than usual this week as she play-acted with Cassidy and manipulated a group of danger-loving gun-nuts into helping her regain her confidence.

Cassidy also continues to become a more compelling character with each new week. Early on this season, it felt as though he was being ignored in favor of his two mates, but lately Cassidy has proven to be a rich source of both comedy and character drama. His little ordeal being mistaken for a corpse this week was very amusing (especially with the reveal that it wasn't the first time he's woken up inside a morgue. Bu tat the same time, he's dealing with some heavy drama of his own as he wrestles with the fact that his estranged son is dying and wants to join the ranks of the undead. The whole "can I allow my loved one to join me in immortality?" dilemma is hardly new in vampire fiction, but it works well in this context. There's a great deal of sadness to Cassidy right now, between his dying son and the fact that he can't stop pining for Tulip. He's burdened by an unnaturally long life full of mistakes and regrets, and hopefully we'll start to see some flashbacks to other key mistakes in his life.

The Verdict

It doesn't appear as though Preacher will lose any momentum now that the Saint of Killers has been taken off the board. Herr Starr is a more than worthy replacement, and this episode succeeded in introducing this eccentric character and his equally strange organization. Coupled with the compelling character drama back in New Orleans, there was plenty to enjoy in this episode.

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EA Merges BioWare Montreal With Motive Studios

EA is getting a shake up.

By Lucy O'Brien

EA has officially confirmed it's merged BioWare Montreal with Motive Studios.

“The teams in EA Worldwide Studios are packed with talent, and more than ever, we’re driving collaboration between studios on key projects," EA told IGN in a statement. "With multiple major projects in development in Montreal, we are merging BioWare Montreal with Motive Studios. This is an ongoing process, but there are many exciting roles and opportunities for everyone on the team."

The merge comes after reports that the Mass Effect series was to be put on hold after the underwhelming release of BioWare Montreal's Mass Effect: Andromeda, and that the studio would instead be focusing on BioWare's other titles.

“BioWare continues its work on new titles – including the highly-anticipated game, Anthem," EA's statement continued. "What’s coming next for BioWare is very exciting, and we’re thrilled to have Casey Hudson returning to lead the studios in Edmonton and Austin.”

EA Motive, headed by ex-Ubisoft exec Jade Raymond, is currently working on Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and other unannounced projects.

Lucy O'Brien is Games and Entertainment Editor at IGN’s Sydney office. Follow her on Twitter.

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Minecraft Cross-Play Beta Now Live for Windows 10 and Android

The Xbox One beta will go live in the coming days.

By Lucy O'Brien

The beta that will allow Windows 10 and Android Minecraft players to play together is now live.

The beta is the first step in Microsoft's Better Together Minecraft upgrade, which aims to unite Minecraft on console, Windows 10, and Android.  The Xbox One beta will be rolling out in the coming days.

Not all of Better Together's features will be available in the beta (servers aren't live) but they're being added as they become ready.

The Better Together upgrade for Minecraft was announced at E3 this year.  The upgrade will bring the console and Windows 10/Android versions into the Bedrock Engine family, designed for cross-platform play. For the full breakdown of Minecraft's Better Together update, check out the FAQ. 

Lucy O'Brien is Games and Entertainment Editor at IGN’s Sydney office. Follow her on Twitter.

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Overcooked: Special Edition Review

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A well prepared meal.

By Tom Marks

A well played round of Overcooked feels like dancing in a graceful ballet, except missing a step means your burger burns, the kitchen lights on fire, and a raccoon in a wheelchair plummets into a lake of lava. Actually, maybe it’s nothing like a ballet (although this gives me an idea for a fantastic ballet). But working with your teammates as a well-oiled machine to produce food for an insatiable demon is as rewarding as it is challenging. Overcooked remains one of the most fun couch co-op games I’ve played in years, despite some port problems that keep the Special Edition on the Switch from standing as the definitive version.

The local co-op cook-em-up poses the herculean challenge of asking up to four people to work together for three full minutes at a time, performing relatively simple cooking-related actions to fill food orders. It’s practically a two-button game: one to pick up things like ingredients, pans, or plates and the other to chop, cook, or wash them depending on the station you are standing in front of. But combine those simple controls with the stress of a ticking timer and cleverly designed levels made to mess with you at every possible turn and Overcooked becomes blissfully frantic.

Every stage is tailor-made to disrupt whatever game plan you may have, forcing your group to move around the map instead of just manning a single station for the whole round. The impulse at the start of most levels is to assign everyone a job – someone focuses on chopping, another person on cooking, while another handles moving plates and cleaning dishes. But what do we do when the pirate ship we’re cooking on shifts, causing the serving tables to slide, and suddenly the dishwasher is blocked off from the sink?

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Those problem-solving moments are exhilarating, forcing us to swap roles on the fly.

Those problem-solving moments are exhilarating, forcing me and my teammates to swap roles on the fly without letting everything falling apart. That gets harder as stages get more elaborate and start involving more spectacular things like jumping between moving trucks or an earthquake literally splitting the kitchen in half.

Its unexpected and downright strange level design keeps Overcooked fun all the way through the 40+ stages. There are icy levels that ask you to slip across frozen rivers, large lava pools with your cooking stations spread across drifting rocks, and eventually even shifting kitchens in space. The included Festive Seasoning DLC levels proved to be some of the hardest available by introducing stew, a significantly more complex meal to prepare when you are juggling five different orders with varying recipe lists. It pushed my and my team to figure out how to be more efficient with our actions and communicate better.

Overcooked gets more enjoyable the more people you have playing it, up to the max of four. It’s a wonderfully ridiculous mess with three or four players that still somehow has room for strategy, but plans can be calmly executed as a more tactical game with only two. Playing alone, on the other hand, you have to control two chefs by yourself, swapping between them to multitask. Simply put, Overcooked just wasn’t very much fun on my own – it turns into something more like an RTS than a party game and loses nearly all of the levity I usually love it for.

“

The low framerate is an annoying distraction in a game that rewards precision.

Because of that it’s a bummer that Overcooked doesn’t have online play, but, to be fair, even with voice chat it wouldn’t be quite as much fun without the frantic shouting that’s only possible when sitting right next to your teammates. Equally disappointing is that Overcooked: Special Edition doesn’t take advantage of the Switch’s capability for local wireless multiplayer across consoles either, which it would have been well suited for.

On top of that, the transition to Switch seems have introduced a few other problems I wasn’t expecting, the most glaring of which is its framerate. Overcooked is a colorful and fun-looking game, but it’s not so intensive that a system that can run Zelda: Breath of the Wild should have problems running it smoothly. Yet the Switch version often runs at a noticeably low framerate, whether it’s docked or undocked, in a level or on the map, and with any number of players. Thankfully it doesn’t fluctuate or spike lower, but it’s still an annoying distraction in a game that rewards quick and precise movements.

The controller rumble is also legitimately busted. Your controller will shake when you do things like chopping and washing, but for some baffling reason every other player’s controller will also rumble along with your actions. So if I’m chopping while using the left Joy-Con, my teammate using the right one will also feel that shake, and vice versa. That makes it all but useless as feedback to your actions, and outright confusing for newer plains.

These problems don’t ruin Overcooked’s Switch port, but they are distracting blemishes especially after having played a version without them. Even with the DLC included, I’ll undoubtedly be setting up the PC version (or at least the PS4 or Xbox One versions, which both run at a solid 30fps) next time I’m playing with friends at home thanks to the smoother framerate. On the road, of course, I’ll be grateful to have this with me.

Overcooked

Overcooked is a co-op cooking game for 1-4 players. Working as a team, you and your fellow chefs must prepare, cook and serve up a variety of tasty orders before the baying customers storm out.

On Nintendo Switch

The Verdict

Overcooked is one of the freshest couch co-op games I’ve ever played. It’s a perfect blend of strategy and chaos, asking you and your teammates to think on your feet as its smart and strange levels do everything they possibly can to make sure you are shouting at each other. The Switch port has some framerate and rumble issues that keep it from matching the best versions available, but for local multiplayer fun it’s hard to beat.

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Twin Peaks Won't Answer All Our Questions and That's OK

"Mysteries are the stories we tell ourselves to contend with life’s resistance to our longing for answers."

By Chloi Rad

Warning: Major spoilers for Twin Peaks: The Return ahead.

Twin Peaks: The Return has tested the patience of even its most dedicated fans several times since its debut in May, but nothing — not the Dougie-heavy scenes or Candie’s drawn-out fly-swatting shenanigans or the ultra-violent Part 10 — has agitated viewers as strongly as last night’s episode.

Part 12 teased us with much-anticipated information before shutting us down so often that it became a central theme of the episode. Some would argue that at hour 12 of the show’s 18 hour runtime, audiences deserve to get antsy about the lack of answers it has provided for its core mysteries. While I sympathize with how painful the week long wait between episodes has been, the lack of concrete answers this far into the story should come as no surprise.

Mystery has always been what drives Twin Peaks and what fuels virtually all of director David Lynch’s work. Twin Peaks: The Return is no exception. There will be very few neatly packaged answers on this ride, and that’s not only just okay — it’s what the new Twin Peaks is about.

Part 12 was bold in different, more challenging ways.

It’s true that Twin Peaks: The Return has been controversial before. A few weeks ago, Part 8 followed up a live Nine Inch Nails performance with a flashback to a New Mexican nuclear weapons test from 1945 set to the shrieking strings of Krzysztof Penderecki, followed by ten minutes of a Kubrickian hellscape that depicted the moment multidimensional evils first slipped into the cracks in our reality, before another 30 minute black and white sequence involving Laura Palmer in some kind of Dragon Ball, supernatural killer woodsmen, and a demon frog locust.

But unlike Part 12, Part 8 was divisive for taking a bold, abstract turn, which not everyone wanted. In it, we saw elements of Lynch’s surreal stop-motion films, wrapped up in a historical mythos explored in Fire Walk With Me and co-writer Mark Frost’s The Secret History of Twin Peaks. The biggest surprise for most fans wasn’t how weird (even by Twin Peaks standards) Part 8 got — it was that something as glorious as those 58 minutes could even happen on mainstream television.

Lynch’s work has never been easy, but that's why it's captivating.

Part 12 was bold in a different, less visually stimulating way, but no less bold than anything else the show has done. It dared to barely budge its plot, to jump even more frenetically than usual between seemingly disjointed elements: Sarah Palmer having a panic attack over turkey jerky. Jerry Horne finally stumbling out of the woods. Carl Rodd urging one of his tenants to stop selling his blood. Fathers seemed to be a recurring theme, for reasons not immediately apparent, from Dougie’s absent-minded game of catch to the murder of the Warden in front of his son and Ben Horne’s reminiscing about that green bike he loved so much. Part 12 explored all of this, while barely touching on the most burning questions it’s been building up for two straight months and, if anything, introducing even more — who is Tina? Angela? Clark? Mary? Trick? They’re Lynch’s idea of a joke.

After 12 long hours, the show also finally reintroduced Audrey Horne, a beloved character from the original ‘90s run. But in a tragic twist, the adult Audrey seems to have retained none of the youthful spirit and mischievous charm of the girl we knew 25 years ago, and has grown up into a tired, bitter adult. Just like Laura Dern’s harsh and increasingly suspicious Diane, Audrey is not the person we thought she would be.

Fans of Twin Peaks should be well aware that Lynch’s work has never been easy. The fact that the show continues to consciously, at this point comically, defy our expectations is part of what makes it such a breath of fresh air. It keeps it unpredictable, which in turn keeps us vulnerable, unaware of what is to come, which makes its more traditionally exciting moments even more rewarding. We are all Audrey Horne, screaming, “You’re not gonna tell me what she said?” as the show, like her husband, stares in unwavering silence. It might not always be gratifying in the moment, but when media isn’t actively challenging us, it can grow stale. No one should expect Audrey Horne to come waltzing in, 25 years older, still acting like a playful teen. Anything resembling that would have been cheap fan service.

Twin Peaks: The Return is a reflection on the nature of mystery itself.

Twin Peaks will continue to lure audiences deeper into its central mysteries, deny us information, tease us with reveals before mockingly drawing back or giving us something contrary to what we spent the previous week mulling over. It isn’t going to answer every question that it’s posed, but that’s precisely what makes Lynch’s work so captivating and enduring and different. Mulholland Drive never outwardly explains the person behind Winkie’s, the meaning of The Cowboy, what the blue box symbolizes. Eraserhead never reveals the purpose of The Man in the Planet, the nature of the Lady in the Radiator, or why Henry has a dream that his head is turned into erasers. If we had the answers for every puzzling detail in Lynch’s worlds, they would lose their magic. You can know Lynch’s movies inside and out and still never fully know them, and that’s part of the allure. It’s what makes Twin Peaks: The Return more than the simple nostalgic throwback to a cult series many worried it would be, and into something entirely its own.

Mysteries are the "essence of our existence."

Of course, watching David Lynch’s entire filmography won’t necessarily make every decision he and Frost have made with Twin Peaks: The Return more comprehensible. Key to understanding the show’s slow pace and resistance to easy answers is knowing that the story itself is also a reflection on the nature of mystery. Lynch never wanted to reveal who killed Laura Palmer in the original run and most fans agree the quality of Season 2 noticeably dips after we learn the truth. Now that Lynch has been given free reign over Twin Peaks for the first time since Fire Walk With Me, unbound by the restrictions of mainstream cable TV, why would he choose to setup these new puzzles for us only to do something as boring as explicitly solve them?

In co-writer Mark Frost’s The Secret History of Twin Peaks, Major Garland Briggs and Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Milford reflect on the nature of mystery. To Briggs, mystery is truth itself — the “essence of our existence” and not meant to be comprehended fully. “Mysteries are the stories we tell ourselves to contend with life’s resistance to our longing for answers,” he says.

According to Milford, mystery is also important because of the sense of wonder it generates within us, “which leads to curiosity, which in turn provides the ground for our desire to understand who and what we truly are.”

To Milford, “A real mystery can’t be solved, not completely. It’s always just out of reach, like a light around the corner; you might catch a glimpse of what it reveals, feel its warmth, but you can’t know the heart of it, not really. That’s what gives it value.”

Twin Peaks: The Return, and Part 12 especially, is deliberately teasing its audience. Most mainstream television is so concerned with linear narratives, so obsessed with “plot,” and so willing to provide the kind of instant gratification that instant streaming and binge-watching culture has spoiled us with that it can lose sight of how beautiful a good, unsolved mystery can be. Not enough TV is open to interpretation, and maybe that’s one of the reasons, in addition to the unconventional structure of its episodes, why Lynch has described Twin Peaks: The Return as an 18 hour movie.

None of this means things won’t be solved completely. Part 12 slowly but surely continued to piece things together for us, most notably the location of those coordinates from Ruth Davenport’s arm. Part 8, even in its terrifying abstraction, showed us more about the nature of the Black Lodge and its origins than two seasons and a movie ever did. But it’s like Lynch himself once said, “When most mysteries are solved, I feel tremendously let down. So I want things to feel solved up to a point, but there's got to be a certain percentage left over to keep the dream going.”

Even if the final six hours of this dream don’t neatly solve every last mystery, I’ll still be grateful I got to experience it.

Chloi Rad is an Associate Editor for IGN and has watched and read way too much Twin Peaks. Follow her on Twitter at @_chloi.

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Anthem's Lead Designer Corey Gaspur Has Passed Away

BioWare released an official statement on its website.

By Lucy O'Brien

Corey Gaspur, designer on the Mass Effect trilogy and most recently Anthem, has passed away.

Corey Gaspur via BioWare's official site.

BioWare released an official statement on its website, which you can read below.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our friend and colleague Corey Gaspur.

He was a member of our team for over nine years, and worked as a designer on many of our titles, including Sonic Chronicles, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 2 and 3, and most recently Anthem.

Corey was a talented designer and an even better person. We offer our condolences to Corey’s family and everyone that knew him.

We will miss you."

Gaspur was working as lead designer on BioWare's next game, Anthem, before his passing. Our condolences go out to his friends and family.

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2DS New Super Mario Bros. 2 Bundle Coming in August

Launching August 25 for $80 USD.

By Sam Stewart

Nintendo's New 2DS XL may have just released this week, but it appears the company won't be abandoning the original 2DS model anytime soon.

In a post on Twitter, Nintendo of America has revealed a new 2DS bundle. The handheld features a white-and-red color scheme comes with New Super Mario Bros. 2 pre-installed.

The bundle will be released on August 25 for $80 USD. The console can play the entirety of the DS and 3DS libraries, minus any titles requiring the more powerful "New" line of handhelds (sorry, Xenoblade Chronicles and Fire Emblem Warriors).

We called the 2DS a "good piece of hardware at a bargain price," in our initial assessment of the console, and its library has only gotten better since then. If you are curious about the 3DS but unsure which iteration is right for you, be sure to check out IGN's review of the New 2DS XL as well.

Sam Stewart is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter. 

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HBO Comments on Reported Game of Thrones, Ballers Leak

Watch out for spoilers online.

By Seth G. Macy

HBO is calling the recent theft of information relating to its programming the result of a "cyber incident."

In a statement, from HBO chairman Richard Plepler to employees, Plepler acknowledged the attack, saying it "resulted in some stolen proprietary information."

Among that information is "some of our programming," Plepler said. While not explicitly stating which programs were part of the leak, EW reports unaired episodes of Ballers and Room 104 have been posted online.

In addition to the programming, material from next week's episode of Game of Thrones has allegedly been stolen, with the hackers threatening to release more information "soon."

In his statement to HBO employees, Plepler promised teams are working to "protect our collective interests."

"The efforts across multiple departments have been nothing short of herculean," he added. HBO didn't specifically state what information had been stolen, but the hackers claim the information totals around 1.5 terabytes.

If you don't want next week's episode spoiled, maybe don't visit any places online that would host or discuss the hacked info. If you're all caught up, check out our review of Game of Thrones episode "The Queen's Justice."

Seth Macy is IGN's weekend web producer and just wants to be your friend. Follow him on Twitter @sethmacy, or subscribe to Seth Macy's YouTube channel.

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Game of Thrones: "The Queen's Justice" - Dragons on the Wall

Queen of Thorns forever.

By Terri Schwartz

Full spoilers for Game of Thrones: Season 7's "The Queen's Justice" continue below. Read on at your own risk!

At long last, the meeting we've all been waiting for has happened: Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are now on a first-name basis. But that's not even the most jaw-dropping thing to happen in this episode! The Dragons on the Wall team has reunited -- with a couple hosting updates as well -- to dig into the excitement of "The Queen's Justice" in this week's episode. Make sure to also read our review of "The Queen's Justice!"

This week's Dragons on the Wall topics include:

-Jon and Dany's first meeting, and why he kept one big secret

-Mad Queen Cersei actually being pretty successful, and whether Jaime will ever turn his back on his sister

-That powerful scene between Varys and Melisandre

-How Olenna's big moment reminds us there are a lot of unresolved mysteries

-Bran and Sansa's reunion, and whether that Catspaw dagger is bad news for Littlefinger

Terri Schwartz: @Terri_Schwartz

Joshua Yehl: @JoshuaYehl

Dragons on the Wall is IGN's Game of Thrones show, so make sure to tune in every week after the episodes air for our experts' takes on the insanity that's sure to go down in Season 7.

Subscribe to Dragons on the Wall on iTunes

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Dark Tower: What Makes Roland Deschain Special

“I am Roland of Gilead. And you... you are nothing.”

By Adam DiLeo

Fans of Stephen King's Dark Tower series have only a short wait until the long-gestating feature film adaptation finally hits theaters. If you've been following Roland Deschain's adventures through all seven (okay, eight) books, you already know why he's the greatest gunslinger ever. But if you're still not sure what makes this hero such an unstoppable force in the fight against Walter O'Dim (AKA the Man in Black), we've got you covered.

Read on for 12 ways Roland stands out in any crowd. From his unmatched skill with firearms to his regal lineage and impressive proficiency in leatherworking (seriously), Roland truly breaks the mold. But be warned: This slideshow contains tons of spoilers from the books (and possibly the movie, depending on how closely it tracks with the books).

What impresses you the most about Roland of Gilead? Let us know in the comments!

The Dark Tower will be released on August 4th.

Would you like to know more? Follow @FireballMcPhan on Twitter or adam_dileoon IGN. Service guarantees citizenship.

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Avatar, Batman: TAS Voiceover Director Retires

Over 30 years of work, from DuckTales to Batman: The Animated Series to Voltron.

By Jonathon Dornbush

Andrea Romano, voiceover and casting director behind dozens of projects including DC Universe Original Movies, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Animaniacs, and the original DuckTales, will retire this week.

Romano's work spans more than three decades of voiceover and animation casting direction, including having personally directed more than 10,000 voice sessions. Though Romano said in a statement she planned to continue working for another two to three years, she has decided to wrap up her current projects over the last few weeks following her diagnosis of optic neuropathy in one eye, which has caused blindness in that eye.

Andrea Romano

"I shall miss so many aspects of this industry – particularly the people I’ve worked alongside, and all the fun that happens on both side of the glass. From the bottom of my heart, I extend my sincere gratitude to every actor, producer, director, engineer and colleague that has helped make this run so incredible," Romano said in a statement.

DuckTales signaled Romano's debut as a voiceover director, and Romano's portfolio since then has grown to include over 40 TV shows — her work has spanned more than 1,600 episodes of TV — over 50 films, and 20 video games. Her most recent work includes Voltron: Legendary Defender, which will premiere its third season on Netflix in August, as well as Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Among that work is casting and voice direction for 23 DCUO movies, including Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Batman vs. Robin, and Batman: Assault on Arkham. She has also lent her voice to 18 of those films and to many of the series she has worked on throughout the years, including The Legend of Korra and Teen Titans. Her work has earned Romano 35 Emmy nominations and eight Emmy wins, as well as the Friz Award for Excellence awarded in 2016 at the International Family Film Festival.

"Doing this job, working with all these wonderful people, has been my ultimate blessing. I couldn’t have hoped to spend the past three decades with a better group. I’ve truly been the luckiest person on Earth," Romano said.

Despite retiring from her central role as a voice acting director, Romano plans to remain active in the entertainment industry.

Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

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Orphan Director Picks Jungle Cruise Over Suicide Squad 2

Turning down DC villains for a Disneyland ride.

By Alex Osborn

Disney's upcoming Jungle Cruise movie will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.

IGN can confirm that Collet-Serra (The Shallows, Orphan) is on board to helm Jungle Cruise, which stars Dwayne Johnson and is based on the Disneyland riverboat theme park ride of the same name.

As noted by Deadline, who first reported on Collet-Serra's involvement, this means the director will no longer be in the running to direct Suicide Squad 2. Earlier this month it was reported that Collet-Serra was the frontrunner to helm the upcoming DC sequel.

In addition Orphan and The Shallows, Collet-Serra directed Non-Stop and Run All Night, as well as the upcoming Liam Neeson-led mystery thriller The Commuter.

Jungle Cruise will begin filming in early 2018.

Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @alexcosborn.

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Game of Thrones: Queen of Thorns' Sharpest One-Liners

A toast to the quickest wit in Westeros.

By Matt Fowler

There's no doubt that Lady Olenna Tyrell, played superbly by Diana Riggs, is one of the most spirited old survivors in the realm.

Cunning and ruthless, but also clever and kind to those who deserved it, the grand matriarch of Highgarden struggled and schemed her way to wealth and power with a quick wit and a quicker tongue, most recently finding her way to the side of Daenerys Targaryen in an effort to exact vengeance upon House Lannister.

Riggs' performance has delighted us all, and on a series featuring countless acts of malice and misery, Olenna's clever dialogue and piercing words of wisdom gave us some of the show's most memorable encounters. Olenna has a way of pushing through all the niceties, or not-so--niceties, and getting to the heart the matter, often cutting someone down in the process.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Season 7 of Game of Thrones! If you're not caught up, beware!

This week, the (implied) death of Lady Olenna - aka The Queen of Thorns - took our breath away. Not just because, thanks to years of herd thinning, there aren't that many characters left on the show whose death will deliver a major impact, but because Olenna was truly one of a kind. So as we grieve for her, and her precious perspective and sinister sass, let's look back on Lady Olenna's best lines...

So what will you miss most about Lady Olenna? Let us know below, and also check out some of our Game of Thrones interviews from Comic-Con...

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA). Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at http://ift.tt/2aJ67FB.

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Top Comics to Buy This Week: August 2, 2017

DC spotlights the New Gods and Marvel delivers a Hulk crossover.

By Jesse Schedeen

With dozens of comic books to choose from, let us show you which are the best coming out this week. Take a look at this list spotlighting our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent and new books that look cool and are backed by some top-tier talent.

Check out our picks, then head to the comments to let us know what you’ll be buying this week!

Generations: Hulk #1 - $4.99

By writer Greg Pak & artist Matteo Buffagni | Marvel

Secret Empire may still be in play, but that's not stopping Marvel launching Generations, the maxi-series that looks to bridge the gap between the current Marvel Universe and the Legacy relaunch. Each of these one-shots will feature a team-up between a present-day hero and their classic counterpart. First up to the plate are Bruce Banner and Amadeus Chop, as the Hulks of past and present find out which one is truly the strongest there is.

There's a lot that remains unclear about Generations, including how exactly the Banner Hulk is returning and what effect this crossover will have on Marvel continuity. But with Hulk veteran Greg Pak at the helm, we know we can at least look forward to an enjoyable team-up adventure.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #73 - $3.99

By writers Tom Waltz & Kevin Eastman & artist Cory Smith | IDW

With this issue, IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles officially becomes the longest-running TMNT comic ever. And it doesn't look like the series will be slowing down anytime soon. This issue kicks off a major new storyline called "The Trial of Krang," as the Turtles escort their incarcerated foe to Dimension X and things go predictably awry. The goal is to flesh out the worlds and inhabitants of Dimension X and shake up the series in a big way.

And if this issue isn't enough to satisfy your TMNT craving, IDW is also kicking off a new month-long mini-series this week called TMNT: Dimension X that spins out of "The Trial of Krang."

Jack Kirby 100: The New Gods Special #1 - $4.99

By writers/artists Shane Davis & Walt Simonson | DC

Jack Kirby would have turned 100 this month. DC is marking that occasion with a tribute called "Jack Kirby 100," a series of one-shots spotlighting the various heroes and villains Kirby created during his time at DC. Appropriately, DC is kicking things off with an oversized celebration of all things New Gods. These characters haven't been utilized nearly enough in recent years. Better yet, this issue looks to be taking a very classical approach to the franchise, in all its colorful, larger-than-life glory.

God Country TPB - $16.99

By writer Donny Cates & artist Geoff Shaw | Image

Writer Donny Cates recently signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, and he's set to take the reins of both Thanos and Doctor Strange this fall. Marvel obviously has a lot of faith in his writing abilities. And if you don't understand why that is, clearly you haven't read God Country. Now that this epic tale of an elderly Texan wielding an all-powerful mystical sword is available in trade paperback form, catching up has never been easier.

Robotech #1 - $3.99

By writer Brian Wood & artist Marco Turini | Dynamite

For an entire generation of geeks, Robotech was their gateway into the world of Japanese animation. Is the franchise still relevant in an era where Toonami and Crunchyroll have made anime mainstream? That's something we'll find out as Dynamite adds Robotech to its lineup of licensed comics. They're certainly starting off on the right foot by putting Brian Wood in charge of this unified update. The goal is to offer a complete, cohesive take on the Robotech saga, one that can appeal to newcomers and hardcore fans alike. Here's hoping Wood and artist Marco Turini are up to the challenge.

Ghost Station Zero #1 - $3.99

By writer Antony Johnston & artist Shari Chankhamma | Image

Did Atomic Blonde leave you hungry for more tales of butt-kicking female secret agents? Ghost Station Zero may be just what the doctor ordered. Writer Antony Johnston also happens to be the co-creator of The Coldest City, the graphic novel on which Atomic Blonde is based. This new series looks to be very much in the same vein, as femme fatale "Codename Baboushka" is sent to investigate strange goings-on at a remote, abandoned Soviet base in the Swiss Alps.

Loki: Journey Into Mystery by Kieron Gillen Omnibus HC - $100

By writer Kieron Gillen w/ Matt Fraction & various artists  | Marvel

Kieron Gillen wrote a lot of great comics during his tenure in the Marvel Universe, but nothing can top his Journey Into Mystery run. Gillen weaved an epic, fantastical saga that made the most of Loki's status quo as a mischievous but well-meaning child. It's a hilarious, sweeping heartfelt look at an iconic villain trying to do the last thing anyone would expect of him - become a hero. It's a run that's been practically crying out for the Omnibus treatment, and now Marvel has finally answered that call. If you consider yourself a Thor fan, this is a must-own addition to your bookshelf.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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Bumblebee Spinoff Begins Production, John Cena Joins Cast

The films opens on the same day as Aquaman.

By Alex Gilyadov

As the first Transformers spinoff Bumblebee starts production today, Paramount Pictures has announced that WWE superstar John Cena is the latest to join the cast.

Cena's role in the movie is unknown for now. The actor, whose film credits include roles in Daddy's Home and Trainwreck, will star alongside Hailee Steinfeld, who's leading the cast as a character named Charlie.

John Cena in Trainwreck

The film is set in 1987, where a battle-scarred Bumblebee is on the run and finds temporary refuge in a random junkyard in a California beach town. The Transformer is then discovered by Charlie, who quickly finds out Bumblebee's definitely not a regular yellow VW bug.

Along with Cena and Steinfeld, the spinoff also stars Pamela Adlon (Louie), Stephen Schneider (Broad City), Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Kenneth Choi (American Crime Story), Jason Drucker (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul), Abby Quinn (Landline), Rachel Crow (Deidra & Laney Rob a Train), Ricardo Hoyos (Degrassi: The Next Class), and Gracie Dzienny (Zoo).

Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) is directing the project from a script by Christina Hodson (Unforgettable). Transformers movie series producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Michael Bay are producing.

Bumblebee will be released in theaters on December 21, 2018. The film will go up against Aquaman, which opens on the same day.

Earlier this year, Bay revealed Bumblebee isn't the only Transformers spinoff in the works. According to the director, 14 more stories have already been written.

For our thoughts on the latest Transformers movie, read IGN's Transformers: The Last Knight review.

Alex Gilyadov is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

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Join Our PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Event on IGN

By Destin Legarie

The real story behind a single game of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is difficult to tell. It’s an experience filled with close calls, strategizing, and either long range duels or up close and personal battles to the death. From a solo perspective you gear up and then head into an encounter that’ll get your blood pumping… unless you never find anyone and run from the blue most of the match, only to be sniped by someone you never see. It happens. That’s part of what keeps players coming back. You never know what kind of encounter you're going to have heading into a match. I’d like to try and tell that story from the perspective of all 100 players in a single match, and a duo match, but I need your help.

On Wednesday, August 2nd at 10:30am PT we’re going to be holding an event that we'd like you to participate in. To build a video project that encompasses the stories of 100 players I need volunteers to help provide footage of their experience. It’s somewhat easy to do and I’ve made THIS video detailing how that’s done using OBS on PC and a camera. To be a part of the production I need you to complete as a simple test. I’d like you to boot up PUBG, capture your camera and gameplay separately and send an email to PUBGBattle@ign.com email with the following information.

• Subject: PUBG IGN Feature Submission
• Your name
• How you’d like to be credited
• Desired Duo Partner Name
• A Google Drive link to each perspective labeled as below
• YourName_Gameplay
• YourName_Camera

If you follow those simple instructions, we’ll assign you a number, which you’ll need to take part in the event. The first capture session will take place Wednesday, August 2nd at 10:30am PT, so be sure you can be available if you’re signing up. We’ll be doing a solo run and a duo run at that time. If you and your duo partner have not stated you’d like to play together, you will be assigned a partner at random from the pool of players. Having played a bit myself, I really hope you have a duo partner in mind!

To reiterate this is a fun experiment and a great excuse to play some more PUBG for the day. I hope to see you online.

Destin Legarie is a Producer at IGN. You can follow him on TwitterYouTube or on Twitch. Warning. He will ask for Destiny help.

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The Long Dark Live-Action Movie Adaptation Announced

No release has been set yet.

By Alex Gilyadov

Developer Hinterland Studio's man-vs-nature survival game The Long Dark is being adapted into a live-action movie, the studio announced today.

Hinterland is partnering with Resident Evil movie series producer Jeremy Bolt, and his production company Bolt Pictures, on the project.

Raphael van Lierop, founder and creative director at Hinterland, will be penning the script. However, no director or actors are attached, and a release date for the film has not been set yet.

"My goal with Hinterland — starting with The Long Dark — has always been to create original entertainment properties that could span multiple mediums, exploiting the storytelling potential of each form," van Lietrop said.

Hinterland has produced a five-minute film called Elegy (which can be viewed here), featuring Oscar-winning actor Christopher Plummer, to help illustrate how The Long Dark will transition into a live-action film.

The game's narrative mode, Wintermute, follows pilot Will Mackenzie and Dr. Astrid Greenwood, who crash in the Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic disaster. The story is said to be inspired by Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel The Road.

The Long Dark, which has been in Early Access for quite a while and is getting a full release on August 1 for PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One, had already sold 1.3 million copies prior to its launch.

For more on Wintermute, check out IGN's preview.

Alex Gilyadov is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

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Domino Explained: Who Is the Deadpool 2 Character?

The X-Men character is a deadly assassin with impossibly good luck.

By Jesse Schedeen

Deadpool 2 will be adding several big guns to Fox's X-Men cinematic universe. Literally, in the case of Cable and his arsenal. But last week we learned that Cable and Deadpool will be joined by another X-Men mainstay, Domino. Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) has been cast in the role of the deadly mercenary.

While Domino may be familiar to many comic fans, the character is only just starting to make her away into other media. So to help get you up to speed on all things Domino, here's everything you need to know about Deadpool's new partner.

The Basics

Neena Thurman is a mutant with a particular set of skills, skills that make her a nightmare for pretty much anyone who gets in her way. Her origin story is similar to X-23's in many ways. She too was raised in a lab by scientists trying to design the perfect mutant super-soldiers, and she was also rescued from a life of servitude by her mother. But despite being given a second chance, it wasn't long before Neena channeled her mutant powers and incredible marksmanship into a career as a mercenary.

Domino spent the early part of her mercenary career as a member of a bloodthirsty group called The Six Pack. However, after meeting Cable, Domino was pulled back into the light and became a member of his X-Force team. Domino has remained closely involved with both Cable and X-Force ever since, serving on many incarnations of the team over the years. She's also shared romantic relationships with both Cable and Wolverine. She may have too hard an edge to work as a normal X-Man, but Domino continues to fight for mutantkind in her own way.

Domino will be joining the Merc with a Mouth in Deadpool 2.

Powers and Abilities

Domino is similar to Black Cat and Longshot in that she has the power to alter probability, giving herself good luck in battle and her enemies bad luck. Her power isn't magic-based. Instead, she has a low-level brand of telekinesis that allows her to subconsciously affect the environment around her. For example, she can alter the trajectory of bullets to improve her already impeccable aim while simultaneously ensuring that anyone shooting at her always misses. This power also enhances her reflexes and reaction times to superhuman levels.

Domino, a.k.a. Neena Thurman

Domino's government handlers discarded her after deciding her powers weren't impressive enough, but they've certainly served her well in her mercenary career. It's often hinted that Domino has yet to truly tap into the full potential of her abilities. In one case, she managed to subdue a fleet of Sentinels by altering the atmosphere and summoning a thunderstorm. Were she ever to to perfect her mutant luck power, Domino might rank among the most powerful superhumans on the planet.

It's often hinted that Domino has yet to truly tap into the full potential of her abilities.

Origin and Background

Domino was created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Rob Liefeld. She actually made her debut in the same comic as Deadpool, 1991's New Mutants #98. Both characters appeared during a time of great transformation for the X-Men comics. Like a lot of comics at the time, the X-Men were becoming darker and more violent, and characters like Domino and Deadpool embodied that transformation. Domino represented a new kind of mutant hero who wielded guns in battle and preferred to eliminate the enemies of mutantkind rather than seek peace and understanding.

X-Force #1

Domino became one of the founding members of X-Force when Marvel launched the new series a few months after her debut. Cable and his team quickly established themselves as a more militant alternative to Xavier's X-Men. That approach clearly struck a chord with readers, as X-Force #1 remains one of the highest-selling comics ever published.

The funny thing about Domino is that her first true appearance didn't occur until a year later. 1992's X-Force #8 revealed that Domino had been kidnapped and replaced by an impostor named Copycat. The Domino readers had encountered up until that point was a fake. Following that twist, however, the real Domino joined the team, and even became its leader for a while after Cable disappeared.

Domino was created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Rob Liefeld.

Beyond the Comics

Domino hasn't had a particularly robust career outside of the X-Men comics, but that's clearly changing now that she's about to make her live-action debut.

Like many of her fellow X-Force comrades, Domino made a number of cameo appearances in X-Men: The Animated Series (voiced by Jennifer Dale). She enjoyed a meatier role in 2009's Wolverine and the X-Men, where she was voiced by Gwendoline Yeo and appeared as a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants in the present and as part of Xavier's resistance group in the show's future timeline.

Domino in Wolverine and the X-Men

Yeo also voiced Domino in the 2013 Deadpool video game. Other games featuring the character include Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Marvel Heroes and Marvel: Avengers Alliance.

But obviously it will be Deadpool 2 that truly takes Domino to a new level. How she and Cable will fit into the zany big-screen universe of that character remains to be seen, but it will likely be a lot of fun finding out.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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